The Whistler
by gray03
Summary: A child kidnapping and murder case is disturbingly familiar to Nathan.
1. Prologue

**Title:** The Whistler

**Author:** Karolyn Gray

**Fandom:** Haven

**Summary: **A child kidnapping and murder case is disturbingly familiar to Nathan.

**Main character(s):** Nathan Wuornos, Audrey Parker

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** violence, kidnapping, child murder

**Spoilers:** Up to 1.13 Spiral

**Disclaimer:** Haven, characters, and related indicia is owned and copyrighted by E1 Entertainment, Syfy, NBC Universal, Stephen King and all related parties. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a work of fan based fiction and is not endorsed or affiliated in any way, shape, or form to the owners and/or copyright holders.

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to Nat, PKD, and Scar for beta reading. All errors that remain are mine. The story is currently rated T but later chapters may push the rating up to M for subject matter.

**The Whistler**

_By Karolyn Gray_

**Prologue**

_It's completely black, no light what so ever to see by. But a part of him never wants to see again anyway. He's seen too much in his time with the man he's knows as the Whistler in his mind. If he never saw anything again, he'd be glad of it. The darkness is welcoming, an echo of what lurks within that he never knew was there._

_He can smell the dampness, the dirt, the decay around him, all with the barest hint of pine underneath it. It does nothing to hide the scent of sweat and urine that permeates the area. It also does little to cover the unique smell of blood. Not that he needs his nose to be well aware of the coppery taste in his mouth; somehow he has bitten his tongue. _

_He didn't need his eyes to also know he wasn't alone. He could hear the other boy's steady breaths and occasional moving around on the ground nearby. It was preferable to his gasping in fear when the Whistler came, his jovial tunes an ominous warning of what was to come. Anything was better than the girl's screams they heard over the incessant music shortly after he had taken her from their prison. _

_He shudders at the first creak, barely audible but there none the less. When the whistling starts in time with the music, he hears the other boy begin to whimper. Both know what the whistling means. As much as he tries to fight it, he felt terror rise in his chest. _

_He is crying when light pierces through the gloom as the trap door above them is flung open. Squinting at the painful light all he can see is the watery figure of their captor casually climbing down the steps and smiling at them. The other boy curls up into a ball, earning a disdainful sneer from the man._

"_Well, boys, we all know what time it is. Don't we?" The man smiles as his question are met with utter silence from the pair. _

_When he sees the Whistler start toward the other boy he clambers to his feet and puts himself between them, strangely emboldened by the dark whispers in his mind. He is scared, certain he's trembling, but determined. _

"_No!"_

_The Whistler stares long and hard, dark eyes making him want to squirm under their scrutiny. He stares back, feeling anger rise within him in the form of stubborn defiance. He's not certain how long they stare at one another but in that time he realizes the Whistler isn't going to kill him right now. At that knowledge a plan forms in his mind even as he sees a satisfied expression comes across the man's face._

"_I knew it," he murmured. "I knew it would be you."_

_The Whistler grabs him by the hair and shakes him roughly once. "You do what I say, when I say it. If you don't, I'll have to punish you and your friend. Understand, boy?"_

_He nods his head. Since being taken here he had learned quickly about the Whistler's punishments. The Whistler had 'punished' the girl. And he had helped him just as It had demanded._

_He quietly follows the man out of the basement prison, taking in everything he can about the largely nondescript cabin he finds himself standing in. He's been here before and it still jars him at how normal it seems compared to the nightmare of the 'workshop'. He doesn't see what he's looking for, a way to escape, and silently follows the Whistler outside, realizing it is cold when he can see the other man's breath, and into the other garage like building nearby: the workshop._

_The smell registers in his mind long before he processes what his eyes are seeing. The gruesome scene before him is bad enough but the stink of blood, flesh, and death is near overwhelming as he feels his stomach rebel. He's actually glad as he bends over, trying to restrain his heaving, that he hasn't eaten lately. He is even glad to hear the music playing as it gives him something to focus on as he quells his rebellious stomach._

_It will all be over soon. This he knows, he feels it within him. And with that knowledge, he wants to smile in triumph but keeps his face blank as the Whistler turns to him._

_He quickly follows the man's direction in bundling up the remains, equally grateful that he can't feel the blood and gore and sickened at being so close to the smell. He sees plenty of tools he can use as weapons but the Whistler is watching him too closely as he waits impatiently tapping a short handled shovel and pick together. _

_Soon he is following the Whistler through the gloomy woods, their path lit by the lantern. Each time he thinks of bolting away into the forest, it is like the man knows as he stops whistling and gives him a hard look or verbal threat. Soon they stop and the man passes him the pick and shovel, ordering him to work. _

_As he digs where the Whistler pointed he knows his opportunity to escape and get help is rapidly coming to a close. This knowledge doesn't bother him as listens to the whispers in the dark, their assurances all he has that all will be well soon. _

_The Whistler starts talking to him, praising him for being such a 'good boy, a special boy' which unnerves him. Without being told he struggles with dragging the body into the shallow grave and then begins to cover it. That earns him more praise from the deranged man who rambles on about protégés, kindred spirits, harvests, and good times ahead. _

_He actually wishes the man just go back to whistling._

_The Whistler yanks the shovel from his hands when he's done. He leans over and grabs the pick._

"_I bet you want to stick me right now. Don't you, son?" The Whistler asks. He looks up as he tightened his grip on the pick axe, seeing the man smiling at him. "Go ahead. I don't think you're quite there yet, my protégé."_

_He feels something shift within him, the whispers now a roar his mind, and a dark rage overcomes his thoughts. _

_He swings as hard as he can, not at the Whistler's torso, but at his foot. There's a satisfying crunch and splash of blood. More satisfying is the Whistler's howl of pain. He dashes away as fast as he can into the pitch black night even as he hears a terrible cackling laugh full of sinister glee spring forth from his own mouth. _

_He runs as fast as he can, tripping over roots and bumping into more than one tree in his flight. He doesn't care, it's not like he can feel it anyway. He just runs as fast as he can. He keeps running even as his muscles burn and he feels like he can't take another breath. He just runs._

_Something heavy lands on him, his face pushed into the muddy ground, suffocating, until he feels weak and lightheaded. He is disoriented as he is flipped over and sees the face of the Whistler grinning above him. He cries out in surprised and tries to struggle, but the man has him pinned down. The surprise quickly returns to the dark hearted joy he had knowing he had hurt the man. He sneers at the man above him, wanting nothing more than to gut the man who's tormented him, use the bloody gruesome things the man has shown him._

"_Shh," the Whistler assures him, voice gentle and kind. "Don't be afraid. I'm not mad at you. I was testing you."_

_The Whistler grins beatifically at him. "You're special. You're one of my children, now. And I have much for you to do."_

"_I won't help you," he spit back. All he feels is black rage coursing through him, a desire to not just kill this man, but to make him suffer._

"_You already have, my son." The man lovingly strokes his cheek. "But it's time for you to sleep now. When you awake everything will be fine. You'll see."_

_The darkness fades from him and all that remains is fear. With the darkness gone, he finds his determination and desire for revenge evaporating under the weight of the much larger man. He just wants to run for his life._

_He struggles against the large man's frame, terrified at what he will do to him. The Whistler doesn't fight him, he just starts whistling again. He finds himself mesmerized by the tune, limbs relaxing and eyes drooping as the last vestiges of resistance slip away until he falls into a fitful slumber._

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

Nathan woke with a start, gasping as his eyes took in where he was. Groaning in recognition at the sight of his bedroom he flopped back down on the bed. He couldn't feel it, but based on what his nose picked up, his sheets were drenched in sweat from the rapidly fading nightmare.

A glance to his clock radio brought forth a groan of annoyance. 4:45 am. He'd only gotten four hours of sleep since the last time he woke up from another dream—another nightmare—he couldn't remember.

He ran his hands over his face in resignation. He had been having nightmares for the last week he. Normally he would put them down to stress, remembering having bouts of nightmares and night terrors as a young child his parents would sooth away and later in high school when he was stressed out over his college applications, but Haven had actually been quiet the past couple weeks in both criminal activity and the Troubles. After a moment's consideration he decided trying to get any more sleep would be a waste of time and got up to take a shower.

He flicked on the radio as he went by, unsurprised that the music that came forth was completely different from the previous day's format. WTLH did that sometimes—particularly in the late evening and early mornings—and while he'd developed a wide variety of taste in music since his affliction came back he wasn't sure he was up for this morning's selection—he thought it sounded like something from the 30s or 40s. He considered turning it off but after a few moments of listening to the music he decided he liked the harmonies of the song. It was fitting for the morning: dynamic but hinting at melancholy.


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: See Prologue for rating and disclaimers.

**The Whistler - Chapter 1**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Audrey Parker let the soft music wash over her as she sat in the passenger seat, watching Haven pass by as her partner drove them to work. The music was not her preferred variety but she can't help but mull over the fact that it seems a perfect compliment to town's old charming buildings. Splashes of brightly painted shops are interspersed between the more sedate and muted structures and the old brick buildings she suspects easily date back a hundred or so years.

Then again, maybe it was just her feeling sluggish this morning after a night of tossing and turning that led her to thinking such fanciful thinking. Certainly Nathan hadn't looked any more rested this morning picking her up from the B&B than he had last night dropping her off with some mild teasing about getting more reliable transportation. It wasn't her fault the transmission to her car finally gave it up and the replacement parts got shipped to Camden by mistake.

Shifting her gaze over to her partner she was amused to see one of his fingers tapping on the steering wheel, not missing a beat as one song transitioned into another. Most of the time she rode with Nathan the radio was silent, even when they were off duty. On the rare times it was on he always let her choose the station and she always insisted he chose the volume level, usually low like today. This morning the radio had already been playing and she was just tired enough not to even be surprised it was on.

"So what's with the oldies music?"

She felt strangely disappointed that her question immediately stopped his tapping digits movement.

"I can turn it off," he offered, casting a glance her way.

"No, that's okay. Not my style but it's fine," she assured him quickly before he even started to reach down to switch the radio off. She gestured vaguely toward the dashboard with a slight teasing grin. "So, what's with the oldies music, Nathan?"

Audrey noted the slight smile even as her partner laconically explained another minutia of life in Haven. "Tom Jenkins is probably sitting in for Ryan Wisely this morning. Tom likes the older stuff, so it's what he plays. Be glad he didn't choose opera."

Audrey caught the hint in her partner's voice of a story in that last comment and leaned towards him a little more with a curious expression.

"What's wrong with opera?" Audrey wondered aloud even though she shuddered a bit at the idea of it.

"Nothing, unless you're a hung-over fisherman who overcharged an old man, who just happens to work at the local radio station, for his lobster," Nathan answered with a wry grin.

Audrey laughed at that, leaning back. "Bet that never happened again."

"Yep."

Audrey gestured vaguely towards the radio. "There are other stations, so why are you listening to this one?"

"Just seemed right this morning," he replied easily, sounding like it was the most logical thing in the world. Given that statement, she was surprised when he reached over and turned off the radio.

"We're almost there anyway," he said by way of explanation at her surprised expression. If he was irritated by her words he didn't show it. Somehow, his lack of obvious irritation – or any emotion whatsoever – made her want to apologize to him. For what, she wasn't sure.

After several minutes of driving in silence, the weird feeling she had passed as she watched the scenic view give away to the older buildings and streets of Haven. If there was one thing she liked about working with Nathan it was he didn't let the little things bother him – like harping on something as dumb as the radio station; he'd just shrug them off and move on.

'_I guess living in a place like Haven you had to make allowances for people,'_ she mused. As the Bronco slowed and turned onto the street for the police station she heard a soft humming coming from the driver's side of the compartment. Audrey couldn't help but grin as she recognized the tune as the one playing before her partner turned off the radio. _'A lot of allowances.'_

After sliding his truck into his favorite parking spot, Nathan glanced over at her as he turned off the engine. "What?"

"Nothing," Audrey assured her partner, looking him over. He seemed unusually…relaxed? No, not relaxed exactly. But definitely not his usual alert self. "You seem…mellow today."

"Mellow?" Nathan sounded offended at her description of him this morning as he opened his door and slid out.

After getting out and closing the passenger side door she waved her hands and shook her head self deprecatingly. "Forget I said anything."

"I think I can manage that," he replied dryly as he shut his own door.

"Okay. Not so mellow," she amended.

"Sorry, I just slept—didn't sleep well last ni…," Nathan shuffled a few steps as he tried to keep balance. Audrey could see he had accidentally bumped into an older gentleman who seemed to have appeared behind Nathan from out of nowhere. Nathan quickly prevented the old man from falling, looking abashed as he apologized. "Excuse me sir! Are you all right?"

The older man just chuckled and patted Nathan on his forearms. "Oh, I'm fine. Fine. Just distracted by your pretty young lady there."

Audrey found herself grinning in spite of herself at the mischievous wink the old man gave her even as she felt her curiosity pique. The man was significantly shorter than Nathan, much shorter than her actually, wearing a dark wool coat over a white collared shirt against the morning chill and tweed pants. Despite his slightly disheveled grey hair, she could see sharpness to his brown eyes that caught her attention, as if he recognized her.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Audrey asked.

Nathan shifted back towards her, allowing the man's hands to fall away. Her partner didn't look suspicious of the man but his body language told her that he was on guard. Audrey wanted to slap herself when she remembered Nathan wasn't one for being touched. It was one thing for some of the locals to give 'little Nate' a hug, a pinch, or a kiss on the cheek along with some comment about his childhood that invariably left him looking sheepish. It was quite another for a total stranger to touch him or enter his personal space.

"Haskil. Tybalt Haskil," The old man supplied with a little nod of the head as he finished straitening and smoothing down his slightly rumpled wool coat. "No, no. I don't think we've ever met. I'm sure I would remember."

He turned a warm smile towards Nathan, brown eyes seeming to glow with pride as he looked Nathan up and down, eyes pausing briefly on the badge on Nathan's belt. "But I'd know this boy here no matter how big he's gotten. Nathan Wuornos. I remember when you were a little thing. Became a cop, did you?"

"Yes, sir. And this is Officer Audrey Parker," Nathan replied with a polite, if dubious expression. Audrey could tell he was running the older gentleman's name through his head trying to remember who he was.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Parker," Tybalt offered his hand which Audrey took in a brief handshake. "You can just call me Tybalt, if you like."

"Wait, Tybalt Haskil? Did you work at the school?" Nathan asked recognition finally evident in his expression.

"Long time ago. I'm surprised you remember me," Tybalt chuckled. He glanced at his watch and shook his head looking worried. "I'm sorry I must I must be going now. It was wonderful to meet you, Ms. Parker. And a pleasure to see you again, Nate."

"You too, Mr. Haskil," Nathan replied, sounding a bit nonplussed at the encounter.

Audrey was amused to hear the old man start whistling what was rapidly becoming a familiar tune for the morning as he strolled away in a manner belying his apparent age. She turned to ask Nathan how he knew the old man but stopped at seeing the look on her partner's face. She recognized it well. It meant he was puzzling over something he'd seen: a mystery, a clue, something that had unsettled him.

She glanced once more at Mr. Haskil's retreating form, seeing nothing amiss. But then this was Haven and Nathan knew its residence and their history far better than she. "Is something wrong?"

"What?" Nathan quickly shook his head. "Nah-nothing, it's just…nothing."

"Right, nothing," Audrey repeated, unconvinced.

"I was just surprised to see Tybalt Haskil again," Nathan explained with a shrug, gesturing for them to continue their way on and into the old brick station house.

"Why? He seems nice enough," Audrey noted.

Nathan held open the door for her. "Yeah, he is…was, when I was a kid."

"So what's the problem?" She asked once he was inside and the doors closed against the cooler temperature outside.

"He left town under, um…some suspicions. He was later cleared, but he never came back to Haven," Nathan explained, looking reluctant to do so.

"So you're weirded out that he's back?" Audrey found it hard to believe her partner would be bothered about some old man being in town and her tone conveyed her opinion more than she intended.

Nathan shook his head, starting to actually look annoyed. "No. Look, forget it. It's – I think I'm just tired, that's all. A coffee and I'll be fine."

They just passed the dispatch room when Laverne's voice called out them. When they turned she was there with a small slip of paper holding it out to them. "Nathan, sugar, got some trouble at the Farmer's Market."

"What sort?" Nathan asked even as he took the small slip of paper with Laverne's notes. If Laverne caught the slight annoyance in Nathan's voice, Audrey didn't see the older woman react to it. Audrey could understand her partner's irritation at already having a call to go on given the Farmer's Market would have only be running for the past hour.

"Missing child. Patrol just reported it in," Laverne said succinctly, though the concern was clearly evident in her voice.

Nathan nodded towards the closed door to his father's office. "The Chief know?"

"He's just waiting on confirmation before issuing an alert," the frizzy haired dispatcher replied.

"Thanks Laverne. Let them know we're on the way." With that the pair turned around and start back towards the station's entrance.

"Do we have a name?" Audrey asked, feeling the tension she'd sense in Laverne and Nathan start to rise in her as well at the thought of a missing child.

"James Wicks." Audrey actually felt a jolt of surprise when Nathan suddenly let out a sound that she would have classified as a growl of anger.

"Damn it," Nathan muttered. He turned back to the dispatch room. "Laverne, issue a BOLO for Samuel Wicks."

TBC


	3. Chapter 2

Author's note: See Prologue for rating and disclaimers.

Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts. It's much appreciated. Sorry for the delay in posting new chapters but one of the betas had to withdraw due to RL concerns. Fortunately another beta, Nat, offered to help out. I'm also going to try to post 2-3 chapters every couple of days.

**The Whistler - Chapter 2**

_By Karolyn Gray_

During the short drive over to the Farmer's Market Nathan had been mostly silent. That in and of itself wasn't unusual for her reserved partner but he had become lost in thought shortly after telling her he had dealt with the Wicks family before as a beat cop. Since then Nathan had ignored her questions. She had finally stopped wasting her efforts and rode in silence, tapping her finger in annoyance at her partner's sudden secrecy. She knew Nathan could obsess about aspects of a case and sometimes didn't want to discuss personal things with her, but she had never seen either drive him to such distraction.

"So who is this Samuel Wicks?" Audrey asked in exasperation as she hopped out of the Bronco. Nathan was already striding away, his long legged gait rapidly putting distance between them. Audrey huffed in annoyance and trotted to catch up with her partner. When he didn't so much as acknowledge her presence beside him, she had enough.

'_The hell with this.'_ She stepped out in front of Nathan, blocking his path. He stutter stepped to a halt in a way that would have made her laugh if the situation were different. As it was she still needed to take a step back to avoid being bowled over by his larger frame.

At her glare he gave an apologetic look. "Sorry."

"What's going on with you, Nathan?" Audrey asked, flicking a cautious gaze around them before leaning in and lowering her voice.

"Nothing," Nathan replied defensively. At her arched eyebrow he sighed a little, shoulders slumping. "I just...I hate the domestic dispute calls, especially when they involve a kid. The Wicks case, it was a hard one. The last one I had before I made detective."

"Oh," Audrey shifted back out of his personal space. "I never had to deal with that in the Bureau. Serial killers and pedophiles were more my thing."

Nathan actually smirked at that before shaking his head. Audrey had to fight the urge to grin at the irony in her own statement but she knew she couldn't let this go with her partner. At her challenging look he raked his fingers through his hair and looked sheepish. "At least they sort of make sense to me. Sick sense, but sense."

"Hm," Audrey agreed with a slight shrug. "So you finally got your head back in the game?"

"Yeah," Nathan said with a mock little salute. Dropping his hand he gestured towards the small crowd of witnesses and cops. "Thanks," he murmured.

"Samuel Wicks?" She asked as she fell in stride next to him, noting he had fallen back into his usually more sedate pace when she was with him.

"Samuel Wicks is the father of the missing boy. Has a history of abuse of his ex-wife and son—physical and mental, custodial interference, and kidnapping. He lost custody of his son, James, a few years back to the mother, Elaine Montrose, when they divorced. Went to jail for a host of charges after he tried to kidnap them both and got caught on a routine stop."

"You?" Audrey guessed, casting a sidelong look at Nathan in time to see his slight nod.

"Speeding," Nathan explained. "Sam was a bit of a lead foot. It was late at night and I was about to let him off on a warning when I saw Jimmy in the back seat. Kid was a mess. And Elaine…she was so terrified…." Nathan shook his head. "Anyway, Sam panicked when I asked what happened to Jimmy, tried to come after me with the knife he had."

"Did he cut you?" Audrey asked.

"Had shaving cuts that were worse," Nathan replied blithely. "Sam ended up in jail and Elaine and Jimmy in the hospital for a few days."

"Sounds like a real piece of work," Audrey commented as they continued on again towards the small crowd of police officers. She noted Stan glance their way over the shoulder of a brown-haired woman he was speaking with, his usually cheerful demeanor replaced with a somber expression.

"Yeah, but last I heard Sam was living up in Bangor after getting out last year," Nathan told her. "Elaine would have said something to me if he were back in Haven. She is terrified of him."

"You know Elaine well?" Audrey asked curiously.

"Not before I arrested Sam. I know they moved here from Vermont after some financial problems," Nathan replied. "I checked in on her a few times after Sam got locked up to make sure she and James were okay."

Audrey took a moment to digest what Nathan told her. "So we're assuming Wicks is out and came to take his son?"

"It's exactly what he threatened to do," Nathan responded sounding suddenly tired. Audrey glanced at him again, noting the resigned look on his face.

"Great," Audrey muttered, suddenly very glad she hadn't had to deal with domestic disputes in the FBI.

"Hey Stan, what do we got?" Nathan asked the familiar uniformed officer standing next to a short woman with shoulder length brown hair and a drawn expression on her thin face. She looked to have been crying and was on the edge of doing so again as she knotted the sleeves of her brown sweater with her hands.

Before Stan could even turn to address Nathan with his report the woman, brown eyes lighting up with hope, launched her self at Nathan. Audrey caught her before the woman could actually grab her partner. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute."

"Nathan! Nathan, please!" The woman was panicking. Audrey was actually surprised when Nathan smoothly pushed her aside and let the woman clutch his arm. "Please, you have to find Jimmy. I know it was Sam. I know it!"

"Elaine. Elaine, listen to me. You need to calm down, okay?" Nathan told her, surprising Audrey at how gentle his voice sounded as he rested his hands on Elaine's shoulders. "Now tell me everything you remember. Everything. Okay? I'll find James. I promise."

"It was Sam!" Elaine shouted, jerking away from Nathan even as she seemed to dig her fingers into his arm. Nathan gently pried her hands from his jacket.

"Elaine, I need you to tell me so I can find James, okay? Can you do that?" He asked the woman gently as he gently cupped her hands and patted them soothingly. Audrey had to admit, even as she got a quick summary of what happened from Stan off to the side, she was surprised at how calmly Nathan handled the distraught Elaine. His voice was calm and clear, but compassionate and firm; connecting with people in a way that she envied.

Elaine took a deep, calming breath, nodding her head. "Yeah…yes, Nathan. I'm sorry."

Nathan squeezed Elaine's hand again in reassurance as he nodded to Stan to continue on with the rest of the scene. "It's okay. We all want to find James. So can you tell me what happened?"

Elaine took another shaky breath and then gestured toward the apple stand Audrey was familiar with from her own visits to the Farmer's Market. "I was over by the apples. Jimmy was beside me. I remember he asked if he could have one and I told him could as soon as I paid for it. I went to pay and when I looked back…he—he was gone! I looked everywhere, I swear. He's gone. I know Sam took him!"

"Elaine, please calm down. Can you think of anything else, anyone unusual at the Market?" Nathan asked, quickly regaining Elaine's attention.

"No, no, not really," Elaine scrunched up her forehead as she seemed to consider the question. "I'm sorry."

"Are you sure there wasn't anything?" Audrey asked carefully. "Anything at all?"

Elaine looked over at Audrey with an unsure expression. "No…," she said uncertainly. "Well, there was Abe Mitchum's son and his annoying whistling but that's just silly. Isn't it? I can't think of anything out of place yet I remember his whistling." The woman looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the absurdity. Audrey worried for a moment she'd choose to start crying again. Fortunately, Nathan seemed to have picked up on her mood.

"It's all right Elaine. Why don't I let the officers go over your statement with you once more before taking you home while my partner and I look over the scene?" Nathan caught Stan's eye and gestured for the beat cop to take Elaine with him.

"Thank you, Nathan," Audrey noted how tightly Elaine gripped his hand, knuckles turning near white. "I know you'll find Jimmy."

"I promise I will," he assured her. With a sniffle and some gentle urging from Stan she left Audrey and Nathan to themselves.

"Stan already got the witness statements and contact information. Not much to go off of," Audrey noted.

"Hm. And no one saw a thing," Nathan commented.

"According to witnesses they remember the boy standing next to his mother one moment, and the next he's vanished." Audrey told him of what she'd briefly gleaned from Stan.

"Something's off about this. Nobody sees anything?" Nathan simply shook his head and then tilted his head back towards the Bronco.

Audrey sighed, remembering some of the cases dealing with missing children her associates in the FBI had told her about. "Nathan, I hate to say it but this—kid's disappearing—with no one seeing what happened? It happens all the time."

"Yeah, but this is Haven," he reminded her. And as much as she hated to admit it, as often times as not if something unusual happened in Haven it seemed to invariably involve the Troubles.

"I know," she replied. They slowly started the walk back to the truck. Audrey was starting to regret the joke they had made several weeks back about wanting a normal case. "We should start interviewing witnesses again."

"I need to call the Chief and get a missing persons alert in place," Nathan announced. She could tell there was something else bothering him about the case, an instinct that something wasn't quite right about it all. She had the feeling too, but wasn't sure why.

"And then?"

"Something's just not adding up. I need to check on some things." He shrugged almost apologetically at her for not being able to explain himself beyond that.

Stopping she nodded back towards the crime scene, deciding she needed to take a closer look at it. "I'll finish working the scene and meet you at the station."

TBC


	4. Chapter 3

Author's note: See Prologue for rating and disclaimers. The story looks like it's going to be around 24 to 25 chapters in total.

**The Whistler - Chapter 3**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Audrey came strolling into the office she shared with Nathan, mulling over the words of the Chief from the quick briefing he had given her as he headed into his office. She had apprised the Chief of what she had discovered after looking over the scene a second time—nothing—and a second round of interviews with witnesses—again nothing. Chief Wuornos hadn't looked particularly impressed with her report before he left her standing in the bullpen. At least the missing child alert was out.

She wasn't surprised to see Nathan staring intently at his computer screen with several files opened and strewn across his desk. Despite the window blinds being open allowing in the midday light she could see Nathan had turned on his desk lamp as well highlighting what looked to be an old case file, its brown cover dog-eared and slightly wrinkled. The Chief had told her his son had been working like a madman since he had arrived back at the station: digging through the old case files and making calls. Given the state of Nathan's desk, she believed him. A forgotten cup of coffee sat precariously close to the edge of her partner's desk so she pushed it back into safer territory before continuing on to her own.

She draped her jacket across the back of her chair, the garment unneeded as the morning chill had quickly dissipated during her time at the crime scene as the morning gave way to midday. "The missing child alert is out," she informed her partner as she settled into her own chair. "I also need to find Solomon Mitchum for a follow up interview. He left the scene before I had a chance to speak with him."

"Saul's likely with his dad at the Mitchum Lumber Yard," Nathan said absently, looking down at a report before glancing back at his screen. "Should be easy enough to find him."

"Okay, I'll get on that." Audrey said. "The Chief's also got search parties forming up and informed State Police we might need assistance if Wicks took the child to Bangor."

"I think we might just need them but not to find Sam Wicks," Nathan replied.

"Why?" Audrey asked curiously. She forced herself not to smile as she watched her partner look suspiciously at the now misplaced coffee mug for a long moment. Shrugging to himself he grabbed the mug and then leaned back in his chair, turning his attention to her question.

He gestured to his monitor. "Sam Wicks didn't kidnap his son. He's in jail in Bangor for violating his parole on an assault charge."

"Doesn't mean he couldn't have hired someone to do it," Audrey pointed out.

Nathan took a sip of coffee, grimacing at the taste before putting the mug back. "True," he conceded. "But after talking to his parole officer and managing to get a conference call with Sam and his lawyer I'm convinced he's not involved. He was pretty upset about the news."

Audrey noticed an uncertain look flash briefly over Nathan's face, feeling a sense of foreboding wash over her. "You found something else."

"Yeah," Nathan agreed, nodding towards his computer screen again, absently running a couple of fingers over his lower lip. "On a hunch I did a search to see if there were any other reports of missing children."

Audrey sighed in defeat already guessing what her partner had found. "How many?" She asked.

"Two. Amy Roche, six, from Derry. Clive Armin, eight, from Camden. Both in the last week. Same reports in both cases. Taken in a crowded area and no one saw anything."

Audrey fiddled with the pen in her hand for a moment, lost in thought as she considered what she had learned. "How many days ago?"

Nathan quickly scanned the screen before answering. "Roche was five day ago. Armin, three."

"And James Wicks today," she murmured as she mulled over the new information. After a moment she looked over at her partner who was patiently watching her. "You think this is coincidence?"

He shook his head and slowly rose to his feet, plucking his jacket off the back of his chair. "I think we need to tell the Chief and coordinate with Camden and Derry on this."

Before either could move towards the door, the Chief came storming in, unwrapping a piece of nicotine gum from its package. "Nathan, how's that search on Samuel Wicks going?"

"Wicks is clear. But we have a bigger problem." At the Chief's doubtful expression, Nathan continued on. "Two more missing children: one from Camden, another from Derry."

The new information actually seemed to stump the Chief for a moment as he stopped and shifted from one foot to the other and rolled the gum between his fingers. "All right then. I need you both with me. We need to start organizing some search parties, sweep the town and nearby woods."

"I can coordinate things with Camden and Derry; see if I can get more information about the missing children," Nathan offered, earning an approving nod from the older man.

"Alright, Parker you're with me." The Chief turned and left before Audrey really had a chance to say anything. Looking over to Nathan he shrugged as he placed his jacket back on his chair.

"Go on. I got this." When she didn't immediately move, Nathan glanced up at her and gestured with his phone to follow the Chief.

Audrey didn't like it but she simply nodded her head and moved to catch up with Chief Wuornos who was in the process of bellowing out a rapid fire succession of orders to the station house. She could tell something was bothering both Nathan and the Chief. For a moment, the look they shared after learning of the other missing kids hinted at something bigger going on or at least the fear of something bigger. She wanted to know what it was.

TBC


	5. Chapter 4

**The Whistler - Chapter 4**

_By Karolyn Gray_

If there was one thing Audrey Parker had to admit was nice about small towns it was how quickly they rallied together in times of need, old rivalries and animosities forgotten in the face of adversity. Or maybe it was just Haven. She's spent most of her adult life in large urban areas. Until she had come to this strange little town, she hadn't spent more than a few days in any place like it.

Regardless, Audrey thought it was impressive how quickly the town got organized for their search for the missing James Wicks. Most of the search was being conducted in town, but some had come to investigate this area of the woods after a hunter claimed to have seen a man with a girl matching the description of the missing Amy Roche wandering in the area. The hunter's claim had many out looking for the two other missing children as well as James Wicks. While she and the Chief conferred with member of the Camden and Derry police, who'd arrived surprisingly quickly, on the cases, she noted the members of Driscoll's church had organized food and drink for the growing number of volunteers the Haven Hunt Club was organizing under the auspices of the Haven PD.

"Thanks, Laverne," Audrey answered back into phone before ending the call. She jotted down a note for the Chief informing him the Harbor Master had closed down the harbor and marina to incoming and outgoing traffic until the boats had been searched. She knew state police were already setting up roadblocks to search all cars in and around Haven, which meant for now the town was effectively quarantined.

As she approached the Chief, she couldn't help but notice his annoyance at the presence of three other people—two men and a woman—that stood at the table where they had a map with search grids laid out. None of the trio was dressed to participate in the search with their attire more suitable for a corporate board room than a forest. Parker had already learned enough to know who they were and had no real desire to learn more than she had. The older man was Absalom Mitchum, a town Selectman, the younger man, his son Solomon (who had also finally recounted what he had seen at the time of James Wicks disappearance to Audrey). The woman was Millicent Hedgegrove, one of the mayor's assistants.

"Chief," Audrey murmured as she slid in next to him and passed him the note.

He nodded in return as he looked the message over. Audrey took that moment to glance up at the trio on the other side of the table, noting their irritated expressions at not having the Police Chief's full attention. She wanted to roll her eyes at their poor attitude but restrained herself. It wouldn't help to ruffle political feathers in the middle of a situation like this.

The Chief, setting the paper aside, gestured to the three people across the table from them. "Parker, have you met Absalom Mitchum and his son, Saul, or Mrs. Hedgegrove?"

"I interviewed Solomon Mitchum a short time ago. I haven't been formally introduced to Mr. Mitchum or Mrs. Hedgegrove, but I know who they are," Audrey replied cautiously, wondering at the Chief's reason for bringing her to their attention.

"Ah yes, Ms. Parker. Formerly of the FBI, I hear. I'm Absalom Mitchum, but please everybody calls me Abe. I've heard so many good things about you," the older man said, reaching out to shake her hand. A tall man with thinning snow white hair, Audrey could tell that he was one who kept in shape despite his years. Audrey reluctantly shook Abe's calloused hand and started to pull it back only to have the older woman beside him clasp it tightly.

"I'm Millicent Hedgegrove. So wonderful to finally meet you dear." The older woman shook her hand overly enthusiastically. The woman's cream colored shawl over her flower print dress and excessively done makeup made Audrey wonder who she thought she was impressing out here in the woods. The older dowager shot a sour look towards the Chief. "It'll be nice to finally see how a_ real_ law enforcement professional works for a change."

"What? Did Nathan not get a cat out of your tree fast enough?" Audrey cringed almost as soon as the words slipped out. '_So much for not ruffling feathers.'_

The older woman eyes widened in surprise and a flush spread over her features. Pursing her lips together disdainfully, she raised her head haughtily. "How rude!" And with that Millicent Hedgegrove stormed off.

Audrey looked over to find Chief Wuornos studiously looking at the map, obviously fighting back a smile. Looking back at Abe and his son, she was all prepared to apologize when the older man started laughing. Despite the man's laughter and noting his son's apparent lack of humor on his face Audrey felt compelled to at least try and smooth things over. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mitchum. Would you give Mrs. Hedgegrove my apologies? It's been a hectic day."

Abe Mitchum got himself under control as his son smoothed down his salt-and-pepper hair with an obvious uncomfortable expression. Glancing at his father with dark eyes, Audrey finally noted the barest curling of his lips in humor as Saul addressed her. "No need to apologize, Officer Parker. You're closer to the truth than you know."

At that Abe Mitchum chuckled and lowered his head, leaning in conspiratorially, and nodded toward Chief Wuornos who was actually smiling even as he continued to studiously look over the maps. "Millie is still angry that her plans to marry off her daughter to Nathan ended badly."

Audrey felt her eyebrows go up at the older man's comment even as Saul openly grinned at the revelation. "An attempted murder at the marina would be more important than her little dinner party. Wouldn't you agree?"

Audrey wasn't sure what to think as the two men began to chuckle as she cast a glance at her boss. Clearly the Chief found it amusing but wasn't going to comment further on the Mitchum's gossip. She actually felt a wave of relief wash over her as she spotted Nathan's familiar blue Bronco pull into the small patch of countryside—grasses now trampled flat—that had been turned into a parking lot for the police and volunteers.

"Now, Saul, no gossiping about the poor girl," Abe chastised his son gently. The father seemed to miss the flash of annoyance and the frown his son gave him as he focused his attention back on Audrey but she noticed it. "There are more important things right now, like finding these unfortunate missing children. Isn't that right, Ms. Parker?"

"Yes, yes, thank you for your support," Audrey replied absently wondering what the sudden frown on Saul's face.

"Any word on Nathan?" The Chief asked.

"He just got here actually." She nodded towards the impromptu parking lot for the emergency services and volunteer. She could see Nathan weaving his way through and around groups of people, stopping occasionally to speak with some briefly before moving on. Audrey cringed as she saw Mrs. Hedgegrove stop him, shake her finger at him and leave him standing there with a puzzled expression as she stalked off. Audrey couldn't help but shake her head as Nathan shrugged the encounter off and continued on his way.

As Nathan got closer he gave Audrey a look that clearly asked 'What did you do?' to which she gave a helpless little shrug. Ducking into the tent, Nathan nodded to both Abe and Saul quickly greeting the two men with a quick greeting and handshakes. Audrey was surprised by the two inch thick stack of folders Nathan had tucked under his arm as he briefly chatted with the two men.

"Well, we'll be on our way and let your fine officers get to work here," Abe announced. "Garland, if you need any more help, any at all, please call. I'll let the mayor know what's happening."

"I appreciate the support, Abe," the Chief replied politely, looking down right pleased at the civvies leaving.

"Nathan. Ms. Parker, pleasure to meet you. Good luck." Abe nodded at Audrey and gave Nathan a quick pat on the shoulder, before turning and leaving with a low whistling.

"Thanks, Abe." Nathan replied.

Audrey noted the slight limp in Abe's stride though it seemed to do little to slow the man down as he left. Focusing back on her partner, she saw Nathan watching the retreating back of the older man with a slight frown, obviously uncomfortable about Abe's touch, but it quickly smoothed away as Saul followed his father.

Nathan watched the Mitchums walk away for a moment longer before he turned back to his father and placed the thick folder he had brought on the table. "What did Abe want?"

"Offering his support," the Chief replied, glancing up at his son, "And keeping tabs on us for the mayor."

"Understandable, I guess." Nathan said agreeably.

Audrey frowned at the two men. "Why would he be keeping tabs on a police investigation?"

The Chief simply gestured to Nathan as he turned his attention once more to the maps.

"Abe's oldest daughter was kidnapped back when I was a kid. She was never found. He's been a big supporter of children's causes ever since," Nathan explained. Turning back to the Chief, Nathan looked tense. "Which is why I brought this."

He tapped the folder on the table and nudged it towards his father. "I think you need to see this."

The Chief flipped open the file giving his son a brief glance before he rifled through the pages. "What do you got?"

Audrey leaned over to get a glimpse of the file, noting it seemed to be old but didn't get to see much as the Chief flipped through the pages too fast for her to get a good look from her vantage point.

Nathan scratched his chin and gave her a concerned look before he answered. To Audrey he seemed reluctant to speak. "I found some old cases about a string of missing children from around 1984."

"Those cases have nothing to do with this, Nathan." The Chief closed the file and shoved it away in obvious disgust.

Nathan leaned forward, tapping the folder forcefully as he spoke. "We can't be sure about that. You know most of those cases were never solved. Hell, most of the victims were never _found_!"

The Chief's face hardened into a scowl. "Don't tell me what I already know. I need you to tell me what I _don't_ already know," the Chief replied angrily. He gestured to the file dismissively. "And I know these kids have nothing to do with back then."

"But…"

"But nothing, Nathan," the older man cut him off. He stared at Nathan coldly, pointing at his son in a warning fashion. "That was a long time ago. Are you trying to tell me whoever kidnapped those kids then is suddenly now back after twenty five years?"

"You're not even listening," Nathan protested.

"I'm listening, but what you're saying makes no sense. They are not related." The Chief turned away back to the maps, ignoring the frustrated look on Nathan's face. "Now get with your partner. We're getting ready to head out for a sweep."

All Audrey could do was stand there shocked as the Chief suddenly stormed away with Nathan muttering curses under his breath, wondering where and why the sudden tension between the two men had turned into a full-blown argument.

TBC


	6. Chapter 5

Author's note: As a precaution I'm giving a warning for disturbing imagery and violence in this chapter.

**The Whistler - Chapter 5**

_By Karolyn Gray_

_Music was playing, the old man whistling along with it in perfect harmony as he lifted a tool from the metal tray and turned towards them._

"_Watch closely. Learn. All that you do must be of clear intent."_

_He shivered at the old man's clinical emotionless tone, equally devoid of sentiment as his blank face. But it wasn't the man's voice or face that he feared. It was his eyes—dark, fathomless eyes in which something lurked. Something lingered there he wasn't able to define but it still terrified him. He looked away and tried to focus on the music and nothing else._

_His head was jerked up and held in place, locked on the old man and the table. "Watch," the other one whispered into his ear, "You must watch or you will suffer. Do you understand?"_

_He nodded his head, somehow knowing that if he said anything he would be punished—like the whimpering chestnut haired girl splayed out naked on the bloody table. His fearful tears turned the sight before him blurry before he blinked them away._

_The old man was staring at him sternly, a warning, before he once more turned his attention to the girl's naked form. _

"_Clear intent is not enough. You must have perfect form, a perfect tool, a perfect subject, and a perfect canvas." The old man rasped, resting the blade on the girl's trembling stomach before slowly making a horizontal cut. Blood welled up from the wound as the girl wailed. _

_Even from this distance the coppery scent of blood quickly filled his nostrils. _

_Ignoring her cries, the old man leaned in, inspecting the cut before looking over towards him and the others nearby. "That is why we must do this, to ensure we have perfection. For perfection can only come from precision—a purity of clear intent combined with precise action."_

_The old man continued cutting as he went, making what became perfectly spaced cuts aligned into a pattern even as the girl's torso jerked and heaved with her screams. _

_The scent of blood choked his lungs. He knew the others couldn't smell it like him—the blood, the sweat, the girl's fear and terror. Nor could they hear the timber in her voice that hurt his ears even with the loud volume of the music. He couldn't take watching anymore and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on the music again and block everything else out. He just wanted to go home and forget._

"_Watch! Learn!"_

_He shook his head defiantly at the voice whispering angrily in his ear._

"_Don't be afraid." The whisper is suddenly soft, gentle and yet it blocked out the screams and the scent of blood. "Just listen. Then do as I say."_

_He heard a soft whistling in his ear, a tune markedly different than that of the old man. It was reassuring like a lullaby or the tuneless humming of his mother as she washed dishes or folded the laundry. He's safe and unafraid._

"_Now watch. Watch and learn. We can both be free."_

_Clear. Perfect. Precise._

_He watches the blade dip and flash. Something inside him moves, loosening in a way he can't describe as physical and yet its there swallowing his fear. The pain and hurt and anger he has endured and hidden for so long, so very deep within, churn so that he can't tell the difference between his roiling emotions as the darkness creeps forth to engulf them._

_The girl screams again, a spray of blood rising from a vicious slash. The old man grins in triumph, blood spattering his pale face._

_His eyes narrow to slits in hatred of that man. Hate—a feeling he hasn't really known before—fills him. The old fool looks at him with surprise followed by a prideful smile. He decides then he is going to kill the old man, somehow, and end this nightmare. _

_A slash of the crimson edged blade. More screams. And he waits, listening to the soft whistling in his ears._

_Underneath the dulcet tones, he hears It whisper for the first time._

_The girl on the table shrieks. The others beside him shift, one whimpering softly._

_Yes, he's going to end this nightmare. Even if it means he has to kill them all._

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

Nathan came awake, gasping for breath with the rush of his own blood thrumming through in his ears as he tried to calm himself from the nightmare. He swallowed hard several times at the churning in his stomach and the taste of bile in the back of his throat. After a couple minutes he's satisfied he was not about to throw up and allowed himself to flop back on to his bed with a heavy sigh. He looked at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand with bleary eyes.

3:35 A.M.

He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut at the glowing number. He had only gotten back to his place at 11 p.m. last night, wolfing down some stew before taking a quick shower and practically falling in to his bed in exhaustion. He was still tired from the previous day's search and suspected that were it not for his affliction his muscles would be painfully protesting every little movement he made. He knew he needed more rest for today's search. Despite this he couldn't bring himself to get back to sleep, the nightmare faded to vague imagery but the fear it had instilled was still within him.

He let his mind wander onto other subjects hoping to garner some semblance of sleep. When he felt himself mentally relaxing and the phantom fear slipping away entirely he also realized he was humming the tune that had been in his head these past few days. He couldn't help smiling at that. The tune felt right somehow, comforting.

Annoyingly enough, after thirty minutes he still couldn't get to sleep. He finally gave up any pretense of getting more sleep. Sitting up he flicked on the lamp on his beside table. The old case folder was sitting there. He reached for it and froze.

_A silvery blade slashes. The scent of blood fills his nose. And he heard a single whispered word._

"_Listen."_

Shaking his head in bemusement he looked himself over looking for any signs of injury that account for the brief smell. Finding none, he rubbed the palms of his hands over his face trying to shake of his lethargy. He looked over at the folder, feeling a sudden reluctance to open those pages again. Snorting at the absurdity of the situation, he decided he would try once more to sleep, flicked off the lamp and buried his head into his pillows, determined to ignore his growing trepidation.

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

Audrey silently handed her partner the white Styrofoam cup of coffee as he stepped under the tarpaulin. Nathan was uncharacteristically late this morning but she thought it a good sign the Chief hadn't seemed particularly upset or concerned, considering the tension between the two yesterday. She took in the bags under Nathan's eyes and a less than thorough job of shaving this morning, several obvious nicks and cuts along his jaw, as evidence her partner hadn't slept well last night.

All she had dreamt about was trees, lots and lots of endless trees.

"You probably should stick to using an electric shaver," she commented with a small grin.

"Prob'ly," he agreed, though he didn't return her humor.

She was tempted to comment further on his tardiness but noted the tenseness in Nathan's shoulder from the previous day's search was still there and decided to say nothing. Yesterday had been frustrating for all, and having the Chief and his son subtly going at one another during the search had frayed even her patience with the two men. She just hoped today would go better.

"We'll be with the Chief following this route," she informed Nathan as he looked at the coffee carefully before closing his eyes and taking a long draught. She almost smiled at the look of near pleasure on his face as he slowly drank the hot drink.

After a moment more of savoring the coffee Nathan opened his eyes, looking embarrassed at her inquisitive gaze. He shrugged his shoulder slightly and gestured between them with his free hand. "Who's in our group?"

"Chief wants smaller teams today to cover more ground," she replied, "As far as I know it's just you, me, the Chief, and one of the volunteers. I'm not sure who."

"I guess that would be me?" Duke's chipper voice cut into their conversation. Audrey saw Nathan take a deep breath— bracing himself— even as she turned to Haven's local smuggler standing there with a wry grin on his face.

"Duke, you're volunteering?" She asked in disbelief, noting he was definitely dressed for someone intending for a long hike through the woods—unbuttoned flannel shirt over a white T, khaki pants and sturdy boots with an accompanying canteen and small pack.

"You sound surprised," Duke noted with a sardonic twist of the lips as he idly scratched under his right ear. She could see underneath his aloof expression that he was genuinely offended by her question.

"Sorry." She gave him an apologetic smile. "I just thought you'd be busy I guess. You weren't out here yesterday."

Duke seemed to accept her words and waved his hand in the general direction of the marina. "I was having my boat inspected yesterday by harbor patrol for the missing kid, not that it matters that I was in the middle of repairs at the time and she isn't going anywhere."

The smuggler glanced over towards a group that was being briefed by the Chief. "So today I'm here to help. Chief Wuornos sent me over here when he saw me."

Audrey was surprised when Nathan just accepted his nemesis words and gestured to the maps on the table before them. "Alright, here's the grid were searching today." He waved Duke over to get a better look as he pointed out their intended route. "These areas were cleared yesterday. We'll sweep up from this point to the north then loop back down if we don't find anything."

Duke studied the map for a moment, frowning slightly as his dark eyes took in the map's details before he stood back and nodded. "Sounds good. First few zones should be pretty easy, not many trees. It'll get a little thicker when we get further north."

"You seem to know this area pretty well," Audrey commented, puzzling over how quickly the two men who claimed to hate each other were so quickly able to work with one another.

"As much as any teenage boy looking for a place to take his girl," Duke replied with a sly grin. The smuggler cut a glance to Nathan who held his gaze for a moment before he turned his attention back to the map as Duke's grin broadened.

Audrey was surprised to see a small embarrassed grin cross her partner's face at that, wondering what exactly that look meant. "Okay," she drawled, deciding whatever had just passed between the two men she didn't really want to know about.

The Chief chose that moment to come stomping up to them, looking decidedly grim and determined. "You three ready to go?"

"We're ready," Nathan replied, snapping on a belt with a canteen and slung the small backpack beside the table on his shoulder.

TBC


	7. Chapter 6

Author's note: Thank you to everyone for their continued reviews of this story.

**The Whistler - Chapter 6**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Audrey had to admit that were the situation different, she would have found the trek through the quiet woods relaxing. The lush greenery—a mix of pine and spruce towering above them with a variety of shrubs, ferns, and an assortment of colorful groundcovers—was peaceful and serene. Unfortunately, the situation was anything but peaceful and as their search extended from one hour to the next the tension amongst the four of them grew.

It wasn't anything anyone said. In fact, few words had been spoken aside from the clipped orders from Chief Wuornos and the rare comment by Duke aimed at Nathan's sudden penchant for humming. Audrey appreciated her partner's inclination for silently going about his business so she found his sudden musical proclivity of the past few hours somehow more stressful than if he'd be more like his normal monosyllabic self. At least a word from the Chief had ended his slightly off tune whistling early in the search.

No, Nathan wasn't silent, but he wasn't speaking either. He was humming absently with a distracted expression. She was surprised the Chief only gave his son a brief glance when he started humming after being told to stop whistling, shrugging off his son's behavior as he continued leading them on their search. Duke had started to routinely comment on it every fifteen minutes. Audrey had asked her partner to stop, twice, both times resulted in Nathan apologizing and going silent for a time only to have it start up again.

Like now.

"Damn it, Nate, will you stop humming?" Duke growled, stopping to cast a glowering look over his shoulder at the cop. "It's getting annoying."

"Sorry," Nathan replied, looking neither apologetic nor concerned, just distant as his eyes scanned the woods around them.

"Okay, another grid cleared. Take five and then we'll move on to the next one," The Chief announced, pulling the radio from its clip on his belt. "I'm going to check in with base camp."

Audrey approached Nathan, who pulled his canteen and took a deep drink even as he continued to stare off into the woods. She was worried about his distracted behavior and was considering whether she should have the Chief order him back to the camp to rest. She laid a hand on his arm and shook him gently; unsurprised that he hadn't even realized she was there.. "Hey, you okay?"

Her words seem to bring him out of his daze as he looked at her with a small smile. "Sure, I'm fine."

"You seem a little out of it," she pointed out.

"I'm fine, Parker," he replied. At her look of disbelief, he looked down nervously rubbing his fingers over his lower lip in a habit she had become all too familiar with. "Just didn't sleep well last night."

He looked back up at her with a reassuring look. "I'm fine. Really."

She stared at him for a long moment, assessing, and he met her gaze without so much as a blink in return. Nodding her acceptance of his words she stepped back. "Alright."

"It's pretty nice out here. I'm surprised no one tried to develop the land." Audrey gestured to the trees around them.

"A lot of people used to hike and camp around here until the government took it over about a decade or so ago," Duke replied overhearing her words. Audrey wondered how much of her exchange with Nathan the smuggler had heard but at least he no longer seemed irritated.

"We should check over there," Nathan said suddenly, pointing to an area that Audrey knew had been covered by search teams the previous day.

"Why? That grid was cleared yesterday," she reminded him, watching him closely as he lowered his head and eyes narrowed to slits as if he saw something.

She didn't like the strange look that briefly flitted across his face before he blinked, his intense gaze gone as he turned to face her. "You're right."

"Okay let's move people," the Chief called out, packing away the radio he had been using to contact other search teams.

Less than two minutes later, Audrey heard the muted humming coming from her partner behind her and a loud, long suffering sigh from Duke.

"He's doing it to piss me off. I know it," Duke muttered to her as he hopped over and around a small cluster of saplings to get ahead of her and put some distance between him and her partner.

Audrey just kept quiet, glancing back in concern at her partner. At least Nathan seemed more focused when he immediately met her gaze with a questioning look before she turned her attention once more to their search.

All the while his gently humming continued behind her.

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

Audrey didn't want to admit it but she was glad that Nathan's incessant humming had suddenly stopped several minutes ago. If he at least hummed a different song it wouldn't have been so bad, but the same one over and over was driving her to distraction.

"Did you see that?"

Nathan's question instantly had Audrey spinning around to find her partner slightly hunched over, staring intently into the woods to the northeast of their position. She quickly scanned the area but saw nothing out of place—just lots of browns and greens and the occasional splash of color provided by assorted brush and vines clinging to their last blooms before they were lost to the changing season. She knew better than to think that her seeing nothing amiss meant her partner hadn't seen something. If there was one thing she had learned about Nathan it was he had developed a keen sharpness to his eyes, picking out things faster than most people and on occasion seeing things others had missed entirely.

"See what?" she finally asked.

"I think…I think I saw a kid over there." Nathan pointed toward a specific cluster of trees, sounding less sure of himself now.

She carefully scanned the area again as Duke and the Chief came back to join them. "Sorry, I don't see anything."

"What do you got?" The Chief's voice was low and hushed as he settled in behind his son, scanning the area of trees the detective gestured toward.

"Thought I saw a kid over there," Nathan replied.

The Chief looked at Duke. "Did you see anything?"

"No." Duke shrugged at the look the Chief cast his way.

"Wait, there!" Nathan pointed. "Something just moved. I think it might be one of the kids that were hanging around base camp."

The other three searchers froze, each studying where Nathan had pointed. After several moments of no sound or movement, Audrey just shook her head. She didn't see a thing, not so much as a wave of a leaf in the tranquil air of the woods. She glanced up to the canopy above them to see the branches sway ever so slightly in the breeze. It left her wondering how it was so eerily still below.

"Sorry, Nathan, I'm not seeing anything. I guess my eyes just aren't as good as yours," she said. Duke and the Chief shook their heads at her unasked question. Neither had seen anything.

Nathan just looked at them in disbelief before shaking his head. "Look, I'll got get the kid and send 'em back to camp and catch up to you."

He started to walk off when the Chief grabbed his arm. "Nathan! Where do you think you're going?"

After receiving a pointed look from his son, the Chief let go of the younger man's arm. Nathan gestured to the spot he saw the child. "I thought I saw a kid out there. I'll get him and be right back."

With that he took off at a run.

"Nathan!" Duke called after him, surprised at the cop's suddenly departure.

Chief Wuornos was not happy in the least. He turned on Audrey with a glare. "What the hell is going on with him? Parker, did you see anything?"

"No," Audrey admitted. She wasn't about to say that she thought Nathan's fatigue may have made him think he saw movement in the woods. But Nathan said he saw someone and she didn't think her partner would mistakenly believe some moving branches were a child.

"I didn't see anything," Duke added with a defensive gesture when the Chief turned his glare on the other man. "He was just behind me humming—badly I might add. Again!"

"Well, get after him. I'll catch up," the Chief groused.

TBC


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Just one chapter today, but it's lengthier than the previous ones so I hope that makes up for the lack of quantity. Thanks again for all the reviews. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story.

Chapter warning: As a precaution I'm just giving a warning about some possibly disturbing imagery and content towards the middle of the chapter. Nothing graphic, but still possibly upsetting.

**The Whistler - Chapter 7**

_By Karolyn Gray_

"Hey, kid! Hey! Wait up!"

He could see the child, a boy actually, about ten yards ahead, darting between the trees. The boy was easily noticeable, yellow rain slicker practically glowing against the darker greens and browns of the thick woods.

Increasing his pace, he cut to the right around a particularly large pine and caught the boy around the waist. The kid strangely didn't make a sound or struggle when Nathan set him back on the ground. He just cowered down, covering his tow-haired head with his arms and looking fearfully up at Nathan with hazel eyes. Nathan guessed the boy to be no more ten years old. Nathan thought he looked familiar but couldn't place a name with the pale faced boy staring up at him. He knew a number of volunteers had come in from Derry and Camden on the search with their kids. Maybe this was one of them.

Seeing the boy was trembling he kneeled down to put himself more at eye level with the youngster and raised his hands, palms open, hoping to assure the obviously frightened child that he was harmless.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," he told the boy gently. Nathan shifted his jacket to show the badge he had clipped to his belt. "See, I'm a police officer. I'm Detective Wuornos with the Haven Police Department. I won't hurt you."

The boy seemed to calm somewhat, lowering his arms to wrap around his small shivering frame as he looked more closely at the man before him with a curious expression.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself," Nathan said keeping the soothing tone he had started with as he looked the boy over.

Though it was hard to tell with him curled up as he was, Nathan got the impression the boy was short for his age, and definitely thin leaning towards scrawny. He was filthy, blue jeans and canvass shoes stained and caked in mud, with streaks of it on the yellow rain slicker. He could barely see the collar of what looked to be a red t-shirt under the jacket. The child's blond hair was plastered to the boy's head and a smudge of dirt marred his cheek.

"Can you tell me your name?" Nathan asked surprised when the boy flinched away. "Hey what's wrong?"

"Nathan!" Nathan jumped violently at the sound Audrey's sharp voice breaking the silence of the woods.

"It's okay," he murmured to the frightened boy before turning to see where his partner was. Spotting her, with Duke trailing behind, he waved at them to get their attention.

"Over here!"

A moment later they were there, both breathing heavily in the dash to catch up with Nathan. Duke looked more than a little pissed as he bent over as he regained his breath. "Jesus, Nathan. Where the hell were you going?"

"I told you, I saw a kid," Nathan replied gesturing behind him to the boy.

Duke and Audrey looked around, frowning. "So where is he?" Duke asked, scowling at the empty space behind the cop.

Nathan turned around; face dropping at the now empty spot the boy had been sitting a moment earlier. "He's…gone. He was just here." Nathan looked back at them and gestured to the woods. "I found the kid. He must have run off when he heard you two. He was pretty scared."

"Gee, I can't imagine why. A strange man with a gun chasing a kid through the woods; what could be scary about that?" Duke asked acerbically.

Nathan's face darkened and he took a menacing step towards Duke. Audrey stepped between them, placing a hand on Nathan's chest to stop his advance. Duke took a cautionary step back sensing he may have pushed the cop too far with his comment.

"What did he look like? We can relay it back to camp and have them figure out who it is," Audrey told her partner. Sparing one last glare at Duke, Nathan nodded and quickly relayed what he knew.

"He had blond hair—short—and hazel eyes. Angular face. Between eight and ten years old. Yellow rain slicker, blue jeans, canvas tennis shoes—grey and blue. Oh and a red shirt under the jacket. T-shirt, maybe."

"All right, let me call it in," Audrey replied. Unclipping the radio from her belt she stepped a few feet away to make the call.

Duke cautiously approached to the other man, earning an apologetic wave from Nathan for his earlier response before he could even say anything. Feeling a bit awkward Duke leaned up against a nearby tree trying to look nonchalant and failing miserably as he looked over the other man. "You know you're dad is pissed off at you for running off like that." Duke looked down brushing a finger along the ridge of his nose. "So am I."

Nathan sighed. "Better than having to look for another kid."

"Yeah but you didn't actually get him," Duke pointed out gently, his usual sarcasm reigned in as he took in the other man's rather wan appearance.

Nathan merely nodded in acceptance of that obvious fact. He glanced over to where Audrey's voice floated from, looking a little apologetic. "Sorry."

Duke just shrugged the apology off. "Well, you were right about the kid. Better safe than sorry, right? What's a little hike in the woods between friends?"

Nathan smiled weakly at that. Unfortunately, with the boy running off, if he didn't show up back at camp it meant another possible missing kid. The thought alone made Nathan want to scream in frustration.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath Nathan jolted at the whiff of something—medicinal? Frowning, he took a more cautious sniff, and then another. There was something there—a sweet woody odor that sharpened the more he sniffed—wintergreen, which accounted for the medicinal smell. But there was something else underneath.

Duke looked at Nathan like he had possibly gone insane when the cop closed his eyes and took a long, slow, deep inhale through his nose. Nathan wrinkled his nose at the unpleasant smell. It was barely there, and he doubted Duke even noticed it. But it was there. He had smelled this before. Blood. Decomposition. Rot.

Opening his eyes he found the dark-haired smuggler watching him with a puzzled expression. "Do you smell that?" Nathan asked.

"What?" Duke asked, suddenly standing up straighter and more alert at Nathan's question.

Audrey came back up to them not immediately picking up on the sudden tension. "Okay, they said they'll check and see if anyone recognizes the descri…." She trailed off as Nathan took another loud sniff. "Nathan?"

When her partner ignored her for another loud inhalation she turned to Duke with an inquiring look. Duke shrugged and gestured towards her partner who was again sniffing the air delicately. "He said he smells something."

"Nathan?"

"You don't smell that?" He asked them both.

Audrey inhaled but didn't notice anything different. "Smell what? It smells like the woods to me."

"Something's off. I think it's over this way," Nathan said and started off towards some bushes and what looked to be some timber fall left over from the previous winter.

Audrey and Duke followed a few yards back as Nathan slowly followed whatever path his nose seemed to lead him on. Duke was decidedly skeptical and would have said something if not for the look on the blond former FBI agent's face. She was clearly convinced Nathan was on to something, eyes carefully scanning the surrounding woods as she rested a hand on her pistol. And as much as Duke may have been skeptical of Nathan's claims about the kid and his apparently sensitive nose, he had a healthy respect for those who followed their instincts.

Nathan stopped suddenly, shaking his head as the brief wafts of scent he had smelled suddenly surround and engulfed him as he walked around the timber fall. Mixed in with the scent of pine and spruce and underneath the now stronger aroma of wintergreen and loamy earth were the definite smell of blood, urine, decomposition, and a specific odor of decay he had come to associate with human remains. Kneeling down, Nathan put a hand on the ground noting the trampled wintergreen near where the soil seemed loose, recently turned. Brushing aside the branches of the fallen tree and overgrown brush Nathan shuddered back at the sudden appearance of pale face and cloudy eyes peaking through the dirt.

He gagged as the smell hit him full on and scrambled backwards. Gasping for clean air he stepped away and bent over to try to keep from retching. He waved a hand at his partner. "Parker!"

Audrey hurried over, hand resting on her partner's back. She could feel him heaving as if he were about to vomit. She looked back at Duke, who was decidedly much slower in approaching the pair and seemed reluctant to come closer. Duke's expression told her the dark haired man feared the worst.

Turning back to her partner Audrey urged him to look at her. "Nathan, what's wrong? What did you find?"

Nathan finally looked up with a sick expression. He didn't need to look again to know what—or more precisely who—he had found. It took him two tries before he could bring himself to say it.

"Amy Roche."

Audrey shook her head in disbelief. She quickly went to the fallen tree Nathan had inspected using her foot to brush aside branches and move loose dirt.

"Parker," Nathan warned.

Audrey lurched back at the sudden smell, covering her mouth and nose as she stumbled back, moving quickly away from the scene. It took her several moments before she calmed her stomach and breathing. "How long do you think she's been there?"

"Few days," Nathan muttered, suddenly turning and staggering a few feet away using a tree to hold him self up even as he emptied the contents of his stomach. When done, he was surprised to find Duke waiting beside him, offering an open canteen of water. The smuggler looked a little pale and shaken as Nathan gratefully took the canteen. He took a quick swig to clean his mouth out before taking a long pull.

Handing the canteen back to the other man, he nodded his thanks.

"Are you okay, man?" Duke asked quietly.

"No," Nathan said quietly, looking off into the woods with a haunted expression. "It's happening again."

Duke frowned at the cop's cryptic words. "What?"

Nathan suddenly stood up straighter wiping his mouth once again. "Parker, I'll inform the Chief what we found."

At her surprised stare Nathan shook his head in apology, nodding towards the fallen tree and remains she stood near. "Sorry, the smell…it…sorry," he said lamely.

Nearby the trio could now hear the Chief, who had urged Audrey and Duke on ahead, had finally caught up to them, muttering in annoyance about the recklessness of youth.

"It's okay. Duke and I have got this," Audrey assured her partner.

Duke started shaking his head emphatically. "Uh-uh. No way! I am not…."

"Duke!" At Audrey's sharp tone, Duke sighed and raised his hands in surrender. He pointedly kept his distance from the fallen tree and remains, giving the female cop a look daring her to make him come closer knowing she wouldn't do that to him.

As Nathan started to leave he paused in front of Duke, catching the man's brown eyes and holding it for a long moment. "It's starting again, Duke. Remember last time?"

"Nate," Duke replied quietly, flicking his gaze over to Audrey to find her covering her nose and mouth as she searched the ground near the concealed body before he met Nathan's steady gaze. "That was a long time ago. It can't be related."

"It's starting again," Nathan said firmly, blue eyes resolute in a way the smuggler remembered all too well from their childhood and teen years.

"What are you two talking about?" Audrey asked looking curiously at the two men from her kneeling position by the body.

Nathan's eyes never left Duke's as he shouted a reply over his shoulder. "Check the body. She'll have been tortured—cut and gutted. Organs removed."

"Nathan it can't possibly be related!" Duke hissed.

"I know it is!" The cop retorted before he stormed off, headed directly towards the Chief who came stumbling through the brush a few yards away.

A moment later, after a more thorough check of the remains, Audrey started after her partner but stopped short beside the troubled looking smuggler, curious as to his concerned expression. "How did Nathan know what happened to her?"

She didn't realize she'd vocalized her thoughts until Duke's quietly spoke up. "You're sure?"

Noting the uncertainty in the usually brazen man's tone, she turned to look at him, carefully gauging the guarded expression he now wore. "I'm not an expert but she looks like she was tortured and gutted, just like Nathan said."

"Are you sure?" Duke asked again, sounding defeated and tired.

"Be my guest." Audrey waved to the body.

"No. I'm fine where I am. Thanks." Duke waved her off. He looked around the area for a moment with a slight frown as he saw Parker was busy watching whatever Nathan and the Chief were saying to one another. Something about this place seemed familiar.

"Is there a name for this area on the map?" he asked.

"Uh, no, I don't think so," Audrey pulled out the map, unfolded it, and studied the sheet for a moment before pointing out the area. "Well not officially. It looks like someone penciled in a name: Wytchebough."

"Crap." Duke blew out his breath in disgust. "I hate this place."

Audrey frowned at Duke's sudden uneasiness. "What? What is this place?"

"Nothing." The smuggler ran a nervous hand through his hair, smiling weakly. "I need to get the hell out of here."

"You're not going anywhere until the Chief gets here," Audrey pointed out, though the threat really meant little given the Chief was only a short ways a way still talking to Nathan. That discussion didn't look to be going well as the Chief was looking red faced and Nathan decidedly withdrawn.

"He is right," Duke told her.

"Who, Nathan?" Duke simply nodded at her question, which only fueled the edge of suspicion in her next question. "About what? How did Nathan know what happened to that little girl?"

Duke twirled a finger indicating their general area, eyes looking haunted and worried. "Because he's been here before."

TBC.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks to DJ for catching the minor character name error back in Chapter 4 and letting me know about it. The error has been fixed at FFnet and my archive. Also, my continued thanks to you all for the reviews and PMs for this story.

How awesome is it that Haven is getting a third season?

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

**The Whistler - Chapter 8**

_By Karolyn Gray_

"Parker!"

"Over here, Chief."

The older man easily made his way over to the pair through the brush and detritus of the forest floor with obvious practice and ease. Once there, he shifted his HPD hat slightly back off his head, smoothing down his shock of graying hair before resettling the cap as he took in the area. "Nathan said you found a body?"

"Over here. He found it, actually." Audrey answered as she led him over to the location they had discovered the body. Not seeing Nathan in sight she looked over at the Chief's scowling expression. "I thought he was coming back with you?"

"Ran off back to camp babbling some nonsense," the Chief replied absently, eyes taking in the scene with an expression entirely too blank to be anything but forced. Audrey recognized it for the defense mechanism it was, a way to deal with particularly gruesome crimes. Her own preferred method was humor and she had come to appreciate her partner's blend of studied indifference and dry wit, even if most others didn't get his humor. "I figured he was just shook up by what he found. Don't blame him really."

The Chief knelt down, moving aside a few branches and carefully brushing away some dirt before pausing. After several long moments, the older man sighed heavily and rose to his feet again. "Damn. It's the missing girl. I don't like to say this but I was hoping Nathan was wrong."

"Well he wasn't." Audrey knew by the look the older man gave her, her sharp tone had made her displeasure at him for criticizing her partner quite clear. Nodding once in apparent acknowledgement of her disapproval, he gestured towards the body again.

"Parker, I need you to stay here while I call in some help. Duke you stay as well."

Duke started to protest when Audrey interrupted. "Okay." She glanced at Duke to ensure he remained silent before turning her attention back to her boss, who started to fiddle with his radio again.

"Hey Chief, does 'Wytchebough' mean anything to you?"

The older man frowned for a moment in obvious thought before nodding. "Yeah, from an old case. Why?"

"That's where we're standing," she noted.

"Nathan thinks it's related to…," Duke piped in, trailing off at the frown Chief Wuornos gave him.

"It isn't," the Chief cut Duke off with a hard look before he could say anything else. "You know as well as anyone we put that to bed a long time ago."

"But Nathan…."

"Is wrong." The Chief glared at both of them, as if daring the pair to say anything more. Satisfied at their silence he pulled the bill of his cap down again as if trying to shade his eyes despite the overcast day. "I'll straighten Nathan out on this once we get back. Sooner I get the others out here the sooner you two can go back to camp and talk some sense into my son."

The Chief stomped off several yards, barking orders into the radio as he went.

"Did I just step into something I shouldn't have?" Audrey asked quietly.

"It's…complicated." Duke replied, looking a little uneasy.

"What's so important about Wytchebough that it has Nathan spooked and the Chief in denial?" Audrey asked curiously. She could tell the dark haired man was well past uncomfortable being in the woods and it was not due to the body they had just found. "You know something. What is it?"

Duke shook his head, nervously scratching his neck even as an all too familiar deflecting half-smile came to his face, the one that always told Audrey that Duke had information but was reluctant in passing it along. "I can't."

"What is it?" Audrey prodded, seeing the smuggler grimace as he decided to give into her demand.

Leaning in close to her he glanced over to the older man to ensure the Chief was still occupied. "I know why Nathan is freaking over this—the kidnappings and now finding…this," he told her in hushed tones.

Sensing his need to keep what he was about to say from the Chief's ears, she lowered her voice to a near whisper. "Why? What happened? You said he'd been here before."

"I _really_ don't want to talk about it," Duke said crossing his arms defensively over his chest.

Audrey sighed in frustration. "Duke, if it could relate to this poor girl's murder…"

"I don't—Audrey, some things are best forgotten," Duke interrupted sounding more upset than frustrated.

"Well, obviously Nathan didn't forget this," she pointed out.

Duke visibly flinched at that, as if she had slapped him in the face. She started to apologize, realizing whatever was bothering Duke, and apparently Nathan, was far more upsetting to even the normally laid back smuggler that she had realized.

Duke chuckled sourly. "Actually Nathan doesn't remember any of it."

"Any of what exactly?" Audrey pressed.

He exhaled noisily in resignation. "When we were kids, Nathan disappeared for three days. A lot of kids—kids Nathan and I both knew—disappeared around that time, most of the missing were never seen again. The ones that were found…well, I heard it was pretty bad. In fact, only three of them were found alive. Nathan was one of them. They found him at a place folks called Wytchebough, not a mark on him."

Audrey tilted her head to the side considering what Duke had told her, absently playing with a strand of her hair. If it was true, and she had no doubt that Duke was being truthful in this matter, she had a better understanding of Nathan's urgency regarding this case. It still didn't tie their new kidnapping and murder case to the old ones as he insisted.

"So Nathan was able to help the police stop the murders?" Audrey asked.

"See, that's the thing. He didn't remember what happened to him. Neither did the other two," Duke told her.

Audrey was surprised at this revelation but still didn't see how Nathan was apparently tying it all together. Unless…

"How did they disappear?" She asked.

"I don't know," Duke replied evasively. He obviously wanted to say no more but she could see he was holding something back and simply stared at him for a good half minute, the Chief's voice in the background seeming louder in the silence between the two, before he cracked. "The kidnapped kids were with other people one moment and the next, they were gone. No one ever saw a thing."

'_That's the connection.'_ Audrey nodded to herself. "You sound certain that's what happened," she commented, curious why Duke seemed certain of what he said.

That haunted look came back to Duke's eyes before he looked away, the same distant expression she had seen on Nathan's face coming to his own.

"I was with Nathan the day he disappeared."

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

"…_and that …s the news …ttom of the hour. This is Tom Jenkins, rocking the boats off the central coast on WTLH, the voice of Haven, with the new hit from the Pet Shop Boys…"_

"Nate! Turn it up." Annabeth Williams turned back towards them, with what Duke thought was a pretty smile despite her poofy blond curls bouncing wildly. The two teen boys walking alongside her cast dubious looks back as well, Marcus Hend's mullet looking almost as ridiculous as Terry Oldman's rat tail snaking out from underneath his hat and trailing down over the collar of his coat.

Duke wasn't surprised at the lack of response from the boy walking beside him, just an increase in the volume from the little radio he fiddled with in his hands. When Duke glanced over he wasn't surprised to see Nathan Wuornos focused on the radio, pointedly ignoring him as he cocked his head to the side and nodded his in time with the song.

Duke rolled his eyes at the gawky boy's behavior and turned back to watching the high school kids walk in front of them, with the two first grade girls in their little band sticking close to eighteen year old Annabeth. It's not like he wanted to be here, but the mayor had mandated that all children be accompanied by an adult after so many mysterious disappearances around town. With his mom's new cleaning job at the police station and his dad thankfully away fishing he ended up having to spend his after school time with Nate waiting for their parents to get off work. It wasn't all bad; Nate had shown him some pretty cool stuff around the police station over the last two weeks. He just wished the other boy would be more…normal… at school.

Huffing in annoyance, Duke pulled the collar of his coat up around his neck against the chill fall air. He glanced over frowning at Nathan walking along with his coat unbuttoned, oblivious to the temperature, small backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Gonna catch a cold, you know," Duke said. That earned him an azure eyed glare from the other boy.

"What do you care?" Nathan spat back, focusing once more on his little radio, turning up the volume even more.

Duke rolled his eyes at Nathan's venom. "I don't."

"Good."

Duke scowled at that, feeling a little surprised at Nate's challenging tone. "Turn it to something else. That song is stupid."

"You're stupid."

Angry and without really thinking about what he was doing Duke shoved Nate into wall of the store they were passing. "You…you're a freak!"

Nate's face screwed up and he shoved back, again surprising Duke at Nate's sudden boldness. They quickly devolved into a shoving match, shouting at one another, until Duke intentionally tripped Nate and grabbed the small radio, throwing it back down the street as hard as he could. The radio struck the pavement, several pieces breaking off and the music instantly stopped.

"Duke Crocker!"

He winced as Annabeth pulled him off Nathan, shaking him by his arm hard enough to make him cry out in surprise as his shoulder twisted painfully. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Nate started it!" Duke claimed.

"You started it!" Nate shouted back scrambling to his feet.

"Quiet," Annabeth demanded, giving them both a chastising look. "You two are nothing but trouble."

"But…," Duke started to protest but trailed off at Annabeth's warning gaze.

"Go get the radio, Nathan."

Duke wanted to sneer in disgust as Nate obediently nodded and trotted back down the sidewalk picking up the scattered pieces, once again the silent, stoic little boy, but Annabeth sternly shook his arm once again to get his attention. "You're going to apologize to Nate and then tell his dad why you broke his radio. Understood?"

Duke scowled at the high school senior but didn't argue with her. "Yes."

"Good, now come on. Make sure Nate catches up before we all get in trouble for being late."

With that Annabeth went back to leading their little group. Duke cast a glance over his shoulder to see Nate picking up the last of the radio with a miserable expression on his face. He suddenly felt bad for breaking the radio over a dumb argument.

"Come on, Nate. We can fix it at the station," Duke called back to the other boy. He wasn't surprised when Nate shot him a glare and slowly started to follow, scuffing the heels of his tennis shoes on the sidewalk. The disappointed expression on Nate's face alone made Duke decide he would fix the radio just to show everyone, Nate included, he wasn't just some troublemaker like Annabeth claimed.

A moment later he heard a low whistling in his ears. An odd quality to the tune sent a shiver down Duke's spine even as he marveled at the sound of it. He didn't know Nate could whistle that well. Maybe he could convince Nate to teach it to him in exchange for fixing the radio while they waited at the station?

Smiling at the thought, Duke turned and stopped, shocked at the sight of an empty sidewalk. Nate's small backpack lay near the gutter, books and papers strewn into the street. In the middle of the sidewalk lay the scattered pieces of the broken radio.

Nathan Wuornos was gone.

Behind him, Annabeth screamed.

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

Audrey swallowed past the lump in her throat and rested a hand on Duke's arm. He looked down at her sheepishly and shrugged.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," she said sincerely, catching his eye and holding, making sure he understood she meant it.

Duke was uncomfortable with her empathy, and gave her a self-deprecating shrug of his shoulders. "Yeah, well, I wasn't the one kidnapped, was I?"

Before she could point out that he likely couldn't have stopped what happened, he interrupted her continuing the story. She understood why he did it. He had probably been told a dozen times that he couldn't do anything about what happened but she knew from her own experiences hearing such words rarely did little to alleviate the sense of responsibility or guilt. So instead she listened, determined to learn as much as she could. Hopefully what she learned could help her solve the current kidnappings and now murderer or, at the very least, help her understand her partner's recent behavior.

"Three days later Nathan was found in the woods—at Wytchebough, comatose. They say when he woke up at the hospital he couldn't remember anything. A week later he was back at school and about a month or two after that everything was back to normal, the kidnappings had ended, but none of the other missing kids were ever found." Duke just scratched his chin after he had finished. "Some people even started claiming the missing kids just ran away."

"Were there any suspects?" She asked.

"I remember something about a janitor at the school, but he left town before he could be questioned. I heard he was later cleared," Duke replied. He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't really know if anyone was ever arrested and charged. Given everything going on at the time I don't think too many people were interested in finding out either."

"This was back during the Troubles?"

This time her question was met with a silent, stoic nod.

'_Of course.'_ Audrey couldn't help thinking to herself.

"You said there were two others, like Nathan, that were found?"

Another nod from the man. She wanted to be annoyed at Duke for suddenly becoming as monosyllabic as her partner but understood why if Nathan's suspicions were true. "Maybe we should talk to them. If whoever killed that girl is tied to the disappearances back then, maybe they have remembered something."

"We can't," he replied, looking a strange mixture of wary and embarrassed, like he wasn't sure it was his place to say anything more than he had.

"Why?"

"One is dead," Duke admitted after a long pause. "The other is in a mental hospital." He gave a long suffering sigh before he slouched down against a nearby tree. "You got to realize that most folks around here think what the kids did, they did because they remembered what happened to them."

"Wait, what do you mean 'what the kids did'?" Audrey interrupted.

"The other two who were found alive, they came back…different." Duke said slowly, as if considering how to phrase what he had to tell her. Prevarication was something she associated with Duke easily enough, but this careful selection of his words indicated he wanted to make what happened as clear and truthful to her as possible. "Shortly after they returned their families suffered some tragedies."

"What sort of tragedies?" She encouraged him gently after a brief glance to find the Chief was still on the radio, referring to a map in his hand.

"Tyler Seddel from Derry was one of the kids found. The Seddel family was wiped out in a mysterious fire a couple of weeks later. Rumors were that Tyler had somehow trapped his parents and sisters in the basement and set the house on fire. Somehow the fire engines caught fire and Tyler burned to death." He glanced over at her with a little half shrug that showed he had his doubts about the story being true. "But that might have just been school yard gossip."

She nodded her head in understanding. "And the other family?"

"That one wasn't such a mystery. Eight days after Tricia Hagerson came home from the hospital she killed her family with a butcher knife. She was caught because someone complained to the police about loud noises or something. The Herald said she was institutionalized."

Audrey took a deep breath to steady her self, better understanding Duke's reluctance to speak about such things. She couldn't imagine what that time must have been like for other children like Duke. Or Nathan.

"And how old were these kids?" she asked suddenly.

"Nine and ten," Duke replied quietly.

That revelation made Audrey stop dead in consideration. "When Nathan was found, did anyone think…?"

"Think he might do the same thing?" Duke asked, looking uncertain. "I don't know, maybe. I know some of the other kids were a lot nicer to him after he came back. I was more interested in teasing Nathan about his sudden weird obsession with the Pet Shop Boys." The last part was admitted to with a mischievous smile. And if it was a little forced around the edges, she certainly wasn't going to point that out.

Audrey couldn't help the amused snort of exasperation.

TBC


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: As a precaution I'm adding a warning for disturbing imagery in this chapter.

**The Whistler - Chapter 9**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Despite the general nuisance of his condition, his feelings of being separated and apart from the world around him, Nathan could acknowledge there were some benefits to being numb, even if he only reluctantly admitted that fact to himself. He suspected now was one of those times he should be glad he couldn't feel anything.

He felt unsteady and lightheaded with an unpleasant feeling of queasiness in his stomach that had stayed with him since finding the body in the woods. Though he couldn't feel it, of course, he was strangely certain he had a headache bordering on a migraine. All of this combined with a general lethargy left him seeking out solitude from prying eyes.

He had found that solitude in a simple camp chair under a tarpaulin setup near the ambulance waiting on stand-by. The EMTs had seen him coming, offered to look him over, and then just disappeared when he'd sat down heavily and waved them off. He'd closed his eyes and simply tried to forget his worry over the boy and the body he had seen, humming the tune that had haunted him in his dreams and continued on into his waking thoughts.

The noise of the site had quickly faded to just himself humming. He felt the urge to whistle but refrained. Something within told him that whistling would draw unwanted attention. The last real thought he had before letting his mind drift off was being grateful that no one seemed inclined to come bother him with one issue or another. He wasn't sure how long he sat there and honestly didn't care as he let the tension he felt slip away.

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

_It was dark and under the heavy canopy of the forest no light from the full moon reached the forest floor. Only the dim light of the lanterns lit their way as he and the others follow the whistling man through the gloom of the woods. Behind him he can hear the other two boys stumbling over the debris of the forest floor—and earning muttered curses from their minder, an older boy with cruel eyes. But not him. Despite the darkness he saw everything clearly and easily avoided the obstructions and obstacles despite the heavy bucket he carried. The bucket sloshed thickly with the contents therein but he moved with an ease of grace he could see the Whistler admired when he cast his eyes back over his charges._

_They came to a clearing, a glade of surprisingly large size—he guessed it to be about one hundred yards in diameter—the moonlight so bright he could have easily read a book under the glow. _

_At the center of the clearing were five tall trees arranged around a much large one. What struck him as odd was the five smaller trees were pine and the larger an old black spruce, all of them twisted and misshapen in a way he'd never seen trees look. The rest of the clearing had calf height grasses that were still as green as the height of spring and not a dried out brown, withered by the summer, fall, and oncoming winter. The glade smelled of blueberry and huckleberry thought he couldn't see bushes for either._

_The Whistler kept going without a further glance back, his pace hurried and energetic. He followed quietly, remembering their instructions well._

_He gasped and stopped at the glimmer of white he saw come around the cluster of trees. One, then two, then another and another. Ghostly white apparitions in flowing dresses. He blinked in surprise when he realized the figures weren't apparitions but girls. Five girls of varying ages—the oldest old enough to be considered a woman, the youngest about his own age. All of them had long dark hair and impish smiles as they frolicked and played with one another around the trees. _

_Their carefree laughter now reached his ears and he thought it is the most beautiful, melodic sound he'd ever heard. Fascinated, he dropped the bucket and slowly walked towards them rather than following the Whistler. As he got closer he could see a much older woman sitting at the base of the large spruce watching the girls with a sad expression. He wondered if the tears in her eyes were because the Whistler had brought such sadness here. But then he wondered why the girls seemed so happy._

_Two of the girls—who look so much alike he was certain they must be twins—ran past him, laughing and shrieking, the ends of the dresses brushing his arm. He gasped at the sudden sensation of cold that washed over his skin. They continued on as if he wasn't there. He ran his hand over his arms disappointed to feel nothing once more._

_When he looked up he saw the youngest one stop in her play and stare at him in surprise. She smiled timidly at him and he couldn't help but smile back, despite his normal bashfulness around girls. Giggling she ran up to him and offers him a blueberry. He cautiously took the fruit and ate it, for the first time the gnawing sensation in his stomach going away._

"_Hi, I'm Alice. You're not supposed to be here yet." She said with a quizzical expression. "What's you're name?"_

_He frowned wondering how she could speak when her mouth hadn't moved, the happy, innocent grin still in place._

"_My name is…" His words were cut off as he was thrown the ground, accompanied by the sound of fist hitting flesh, and his vision blurred before he was yanked back up off the ground to dangle by his hair._

"_What are you doing?" The Whistler's eyes were cold with fury. When he didn't answer right away, gasping to catch the breath knocked out of him, he saw the Whistler's eyes narrow to slits as he hefted the knife in his hand._

"_I'm sorry. I won't talk to her again," he whispered fearfully, cringing in the expectation of the man's wrath. _

_He was surprised when instead the Whistler's eyes widened in shock. He lowered him to the ground and knelt beside him, staring intently. "What do you see?"_

_He swallowed nervously and looked over to find the girl still smiling at him, the other girls still at play and the older woman sitting there eyes now fixed on him with a knowing expression._

"_What do you see?"_

"_Girls. Five girls—sisters I think- and an older woman sitting by the large spruce." He replied and looked back cautiously at the man. The Whistler simply stared at him, face blank, but he could see something in the man's eyes he hadn't ever seen there before—fear. _

_The dark anger that had subsided within him after the death of the old man flared. He allowed a small, threatening smile to come to his lips at this realization that the Whistler was just like him. He could feel fear. He saw a similar smile come to Alice's face and he felt emboldened. "I was talking to Alice."_

_The Whistler jumped back as if he had been burned, shock and open fear now on his face. Alice giggled beside him and he found himself giggling along with her._

"_Listen," she told him. She started whistling, a tune wholly different than that of the old man who had been the Whistler, the new man who had become the Whistler, and the older boy who was to become the Whistler. A simple song, beautiful, pure, ancient and far more powerful than anything the Whistler had been able to produce. He recognized it now as the song he had heard before, underneath the Whistler's tune._

_He saw the Whistler regain his courage, face calm once more. Broadening his smile, he started to whistle the new tune. He knew what was coming even as the man backhanded him and sent him sprawling to the dirt._

"_Do that again and I'll kill you. The Five Sisters are not for you."_

"_No he won't," Alice said with a laugh, the older four girls—now circling them-echoing her mirth. "He thinks you're the key to his salvation, but we know better. Don't we? She's coming for him."_

"_No you won't." He spat back, glaring up at the man with hatred. "She's coming for you." _

_When the Whistler lunged towards him he scrambled to his feet, whistling the new song, Alice and the sister's joined in. The man winced and stepped back, the other two boys and the older youth simply stared with blank expressions, and oblivious to what was going on. The Whistler warily walked around the child, pace steady but cautious as he twirled the long bladed knife in his hand._

"_You really are special," the Whistler said evenly. Moving far faster than he thought possible the man was upon him, hand clamped over his mouth and nose, cutting off his air, as he slammed him into the ground, leaving him dazed._

"_Listen and forget what you learned here," the Whistler commanded. The all too familiar tune filled his ears, the other boys adding their whistles to the man's own, joining in to overwhelm the new tune he had just learned—his anger subsiding once more in the darkness. _

_He struggled reaching out towards Alice only to find her staring at him with a hollow expression—skin grayed and cracked, hair ragged and limp, bruises purpling her face, blackened eyes, a split lip, and dark blood streaming from her nose, red marks and more bruising around her wrists, ankles, and throat, her dress shredded, dirty and bloodstained, hiding none of the bruises and cuts on her small body._

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

It was the smell that brought him conscious. Mud, sweat, and a musty, cloying scent his mind couldn't quite identify. In an instant he was awake, left arm lashing out and his hand seizing onto something even before his eyes were open.

He stared in disbelief at seeing the boy from the woods, whose hazel eyes were round with fear and trying to pull his arm out of Nathan's viselike grip. Almost immediately Nathan released him and the boy started to back away.

"Wait. I won't hurt you," Nathan assured the child, voice gentle. "You're the one I saw in the woods."

The boy stopped his retreat, looking down nervously as he rubbed a hand on his cheek, unknowingly smearing more dirt there, as he shuffled his feet a little. Nathan waited patiently, not wanting to scare the boy off before he had a chance to speak with him. After a short moment the boy peeked up at Nathan, looking uncertain and timid.

"I'm sorry I ran away. Are you mad?"

Nathan shook his head and smiled gently, leaning forward slightly. "No, I'm not mad at you running off, but you should stay here in camp."

"But I had to show you." The boy clearly looked upset.

"You had to show me the body?" Nathan clarified, feeling a little more nauseated by the boy's simple nod in response.

"You could have just told someone here." He gestured towards the camp.

He was surprised at the look that came to the boys face, a combination of anger and frustration. "They wouldn't have listened; they would've ignored me like always. You listened—you saw!"

By the time the boy had finished, he voice was cracking and tears had come to his eyes. Nathan scooped him into a hug and let him sob, murmuring reassurances to him until his body stopped shaking and his breathing smoothed out. Afterward, as the boy pulled back and sheepishly scrubbed his face of his tears, Nathan just patted him on the shoulder sharing a look with the kid that let him know that the cop wouldn't say anything about his crying.

"You know, I don't even know your name," Nathan commented.

"I have to go." The boy glanced over his shoulder, looking suddenly scared. Nathan looked over to where the boy was staring but saw only an open field and the forest beyond. When he turned back the boy was already backing away from him, looking more frantic with each step.

"Wait! What's you name? Do you know anything else about what happened? Who took the girl?" Nathan called after him. He was surprised when the boy stopped, now looking terrified. It wasn't the look, though, that made Nathan stop following the boy. It was blood pouring from the child's nose, down his face, and dripping off of his chin.

"What the hell?"

"I have to go!" The boy said his terrified look now sorrowful and resigned. "The Whistler is going to take another."

As much as Nathan wanted to run over and grab the bloodied child he sensed if he so much as blinked the boy would bolt. He hoped talking to him would calm him down enough for him to return.

"The Whistler? Could you describe him, maybe point him out if you saw him?" Nathan asked creeping slowly towards the frightened child.

The boy shook his head, facing turning pale as he spoke. "He's different. He'll see me and know to hide."

Nathan knelt down. "I promise you I won't let him see you. You'll be safe, but you have to tell me what he looks like."

The boy looked at him for a long moment, hazel eyes thoughtful as blood continued to dribble down his face and run down the slicker he wore. When he spoke he looked so solemn Nathan almost missed his words. "You have to listen to see him. You already know how."

"Nathan!"

The pair visibly jumped at Audrey's sharp voice cutting through the tense air. Nathan gave the boy a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, that's just my partner. You can trust her." He looked over his shoulder to see Duke and Audrey by the tent looking at him with matching querulous expressions. "Over here, Parker!"

"Wow, you look like crap, Nate," Duke commented irritably, still obviously upset over being left behind with Audrey to look after a body. Nathan admittedly didn't feel too bad about leaving Duke there, but his partner was another story.

"What're you doing over here? Did you find something?" Audrey asked, her cross expression giving way to concern and curiosity.

Nathan assumed he had a quizzical expression on his face as she gestured to where he was kneeling. "I found the kid I saw in the woods. He has some information on the murder." He told her wondering why she seemed confused.

"So where is he?" She asked.

"He's…," Nathan turned to look at the spot, already knowing somehow he would find the boy gone even before he looked. "Damn it, he was here a moment ago. Did you see any kids around here?"

Duke's eyebrows rose at the cop's words and Nathan easily noticed the pair share a worried look with one another. The dark haired man shifted on his feet, looking decidedly uncomfortable as he looked over the cop. "I think maybe you need to get some rest, Nathan. You're kind of acting like a," he coughed gently, giving Audrey another glance, "well a freak. And not the good kind."

Nathan rose to his feet in annoyance, ignoring his nemesis and focusing on his partner. "Audrey, he was here. Said another kid was going to be taken."

"Did he give you a description?" She asked, brushing back a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail, looking brighter at the prospect of finally having a lead in the case.

"No, I was trying to get him to come with me," Nathan admitted.

His partner's face fell at that, looking a little sour. "So we've got nothing."

"The kid called our perp the Whistler," Nathan informed the pair as he looked pointedly at Duke. "That sound familiar in anyway? A person's name, a boat, something?"

Noticing the staring match between the two men, Audrey shook her head even as she answered her partner's question. "New girl here. I don't know the town that well."

"Sorry, I can't think of anyone with a name like that." Duke added after another moment of staring down Nathan.

"Let's get Vince, see if he can do up a sketch of your mystery boy and ask around about this 'Whistler'," Audrey suggested.

"Alright," Nathan agreed, tiredly rubbing his neck and looking off to the woods. Frowning, he caught Duke by the arm as the smuggler turned to go back to the camp. "Does 'five sisters' mean anything to you?"

Duke's eyebrows rose at that, both could tell his first instinct was to make some lewd joke about Nathan's question but thankfully refrained from doing do. He shook his head after a moment's consideration. "No, not really."

"What do you mean, not really?" Nathan asked.

Duke looked surprised, before he snorted out a small laugh. "You mean you forgot that old story we used to tell girls we took to the woods? The one about the lost poachers that find those girls in a glen who were never seen again."

"Oh," Nathan looked abashed at that, noting that Audrey watching them with an expression that clearly indicated she didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed at the pair of them before she stalked off back to the camp.

"I think I need more sleep."

"You look like you could use it," Duke replied unhelpfully, grinning at an opportunity to gently needle his one time friend and sometimes rival.

TBC


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry for the long delay in posting more chapters. RL decided to rear its head and interfered with editing time. My continued thanks for everyone reading, reviewing, and messaging. Hope you enjoy.

**The Whistler - Chapter 10**

_By Karolyn Gray_

"I still say what's happening now is tied to the murders back in eighty-four."

Audrey sighed at the tension in her stubborn partner's voice. Even if he still looked like crap to her eyes, apparently the couples hours of rest from his nap had reinvigorated him enough to feel up to butting heads with the Chief again. She already knew what was coming: the Chief's equally stubborn retort.

"Show me something tying them together, Nathan. You've got no evidence, just a hunch," the older man replied. It was obvious by the expression on his face the elder Wuornos' patience with his son was worn thin and was about to snap. Audrey didn't begrudged the Chief this time given her partner's near obsessive behavior since they got the lead on the 'Whistler' from the still mysterious kid Nathan spoke with.

"Thought you wanted me to go with my gut," Nathan challenged, anger clearly in his voice this time.

Audrey cringed, expecting the Chief to blow up at that. Instead, the older man blew out his breath as he eyed his son sternly. After a moment, he shook his head and started to walk out of their ersatz command tent, spearing her with a sharp look as he did so. "I don't have time for this. Parker, talk some sense into him."

"Jackass." Her partner's muttered words held an anger and bitterness to them she had never heard before. While she normally would support Nathan, especially when she felt the Chief was being overly hard on his son, she couldn't help worry about his increasingly antagonistic interactions with not only his father, but just about everyone, over the last two days.

She approached the table filled with maps of the search and files from her partner's research setting down the cup of coffee she had brought back for him. "Nathan, your father has a point," she said gently.

"Parker…," Nathan started, looking annoyed. Audrey cut him off before he could get started. She was tired of this case and tired of the arguments between the Chief and his son. Mostly she was worried about Nathan, who looked exhausted and worn out with dark circles under his red rimmed eyes and the light stubble along his jaw.

"No, you listen to me," she demanded, voice cracking at her pent up frustration and anger over the case.

She was surprised when he snapped his mouth shut, looking a little like a sulky boy as he folded his arms across his chest and grudgingly nodded for her to continue. She didn't like how he set his mouth in a grim line, jaw flexing, and squint his eyes at her but continued anyway. "You're not making sense. When was the last time you slept? Really slept? As in more than a couple of hours."

She could see in his eyes that he genuinely gave her question serious thought despite his stoic expression. After a moment, his shoulder rose and fell under his green jacket with a deep breath before he looked down and away from her.

"Awhile," he admitted reluctantly.

She stepped around the table and rested a hand on his jacket covered crossed arms, still able to feel how tense his muscles were through the thick material. "Look, I know you think these missing kids are tied to what happened back then but there is nothing, no evidence what so ever, to support it," she said gently.

After a long moment, Nathan raised his head back up to meet her gaze, looking resigned. "I know. I just—I just …." He unfolded his arms as her hand fell away and gestured around them. "It feels connected somehow."

"Maybe you're a little too close to this, given what happened to you," Audrey commented cautiously.

Her partner gave her a suspicious look in return. "The Chief say something?" He looked tense—almost paranoid—as he asked the question and that concerned her.

She shook her head. "No, Duke." She quickly carried on even as his face screwed up in distaste at the mention of the other man's name. "And before you go dismissing it, I looked up the reports on your kidnapping."

"That has nothing to do with this!" Nathan snapped. She arched an eyebrow at him. That small movement made him visibly wince at the irony of his words given his insistence all of it was tied together. He tiredly rubbed his hands over his face for a moment before dropping them to his side and exhaling heavily. "Fine, it does!"

Audrey watched her partner grab the Styrofoam cup of coffee she had brought for him well over a half hour ago and take a long draw from it, clearly trying to use it to have a moment to think.

"Is whatever bothering you about this case something new or has what happened to you as a kid been troubling you all along?" She took a seat on one of the folding chairs.

Nathan looked at her over the rim of his cup before finishing his drink and putting it down. With a heavy sigh he sat on the other chair.

"Never even thought about it—the kidnapping, any of it—until James Wicks disappeared," he admitted, rubbing his neck tiredly. "Now… it's all I can think about. I try to sleep but…." He shook his head as his voice trailed off, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Probably just tired, seeing things that aren't there."

"Why don't you catch a nap while I go over these reports again," Audrey offered. She nodded towards the single olive drab cot that had been set up for different officers to rest after coming in from their search patrols. It wasn't the most comfortable place to rest, as Audrey discovered the afternoon of the first day's search, but Nathan needed it by his haggard appearance.

Nathan slowly eased himself onto the cot and flung an arm over his eyes to block out the light. His frame was slightly too tall for the cot and his booted feet stuck out but she could tell he didn't care.

"We get any hits on that sketch?" he asked a few minutes later, voice sounding considerably more somnolent.

"No, and that's starting to concern me." She didn't really want to admit how much the fact that they couldn't find the boy Nathan bothered her. Or the possible implications of what the boy's sudden appearances and disappearances could mean.

"You think he's connected?" Nathan's voice was soft but no less concerned in his question.

Audrey thought about it for a moment. Clearly Nathan though the boy was important and given the course of events she couldn't fault her partner's reasoning. She wasn't entirely convinced the boy was crucial to their ongoing investigation, but there was something definitely mysterious going on with his random appearances and disappearances. "The description you gave of him was pretty detailed but no one remembers seeing him. I passed a copy of the sketch on to Camden and Derry. So far nothing."

"He seems familiar, can't remember where I might have seen him though," Nathan murmured, voice sounding heavy with Audrey hoped was impending sleep. After a moment, she could hear her partner's deep breaths smooth out to a more even pace. She smiled as she looked over to find him asleep.

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

"Excuse me."

Audrey looked up from the file she was looking over at the gentle voice, surprised to see the now familiar face of Tybalt Haskil standing there. The old man had been helping out around camp fetching food for the police and volunteers and had become something of a fixture with his jovial smile, gentle tone, and encouraging words. Unsurprisingly he had a paper bag clutched in his hands as he stepped into the tent, glancing at the maps on the table as he stepped under the tarp.

"Mr. Haskil, what're you doing here?" She asked softly, checking to see if her partner had been awoken by Tybalt's arrival. She was pleased to see Nathan was still soundly asleep. Peering at her watch and was surprised to see it had been just over three hours since her partner started his nap without someone interrupting as she poured over the old reports her partner had gathered.

She had to admit the more she read the reports, the more she could understand Nathan's concerns. The current kidnappings and murders were too similar to be dismissed as unrelated. She knew that meant a confrontation with Chief Wuornos and his unusual refusal to see the obvious connection was inevitable.

The old man caught her glance and smiled fondly at the sleeping man as he pulled off his grey wool hat with his free hand. He held out a large paper sack to Audrey, who caught the scent of fresh baked bread. "Oh, I was just helping out here at the base camp. I knew you two were in here and thought you could use some food. Picked up the bread from Rosemary's personally."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Mr. Haskil," Audrey said, opening the bag and confirmed the two heavenly smelling sandwiches within before closing it tightly and placing it on the table.

"Tybalt."

"Tybalt." Audrey smiled at his gentle correction. It had almost become a game between them. "Thank you."

"I heard you found the girl in the forest. I'm sorry you and Nate had to see that. Glad you found her, but sorry," the old man said.

"Not soon enough." Nathan's sleepy voice sounded deeper than normal and had a gravelly edge to it.

"Not your fault, son. You've got to remember that," Tybalt said walking over and offering the younger man a hand up from the cot.

Nathan just blinked in surprise at the proffered hand before accepting and getting to his feet. "I know. It's hard."

"Yes, it is," Tybalt agreed readily.

Nathan's face frowned as he sniffed once, looking confused. "Do I smell roast beef?"

Audrey couldn't help the grin that came to her face as she opened the bag the older man had brought them. She handed him one of the sandwiches—roast beef as her partner had guessed—realizing she was hungry as well. "Yes, you did, Mr. Supersenses. Mr. Haskil brought us some lunch."

Tybalt accepted their thanks gracefully, looking pleased as Nathan gestured for him to take the folding chair while he re-appropriated the cot to sit on and eat the sandwich.

"Tybalt, do you remember what happened back in eighty-four, the murders back then I mean," Nathan asked after a short time, picking at his sandwich, looking uncomfortable.

The old man didn't seem too surprised by the question as he smoothed his hands over the grey trousers he wore. Audrey knew from the police reports that Tybalt had been a suspect back then, though more by suspicion and hear-say than actual evidence. "I know I was a suspect."

"So why did you leave Haven?" Audrey asked leaning forward.

Tybalt looked sadly to her as he leaned back into the chair slightly, sad, but determined. "People were scared. And my past…well, people were scared. I don't blame them for misunderstanding my intentions."

"What were your intentions?" Nathan asked, attention focused now solely on the older man, his half-eaten sandwich forgotten in his hands.

"I was only trying to look out for you kids. Keep an eye on you and protect you from whoever was hurting the children," Tybalt explained to Nathan. He rubbed his wrinkled hands together with a rueful expression. "Looking back I can see how I made myself look suspicious what with my following you kids around and all." He shook his head in dismay. "In the end, it didn't make a damned bit of difference."

"But you were cleared. You could have come back," Nathan pointed out.

Tybalt looked pained at Nathan's words even as he shook his head. "No, there were too many bad memories, especially with Tricia Hagerson. When you disappeared…I knew I had failed. It was time to leave." A small smile came to the man's lips, erasing some of his burdened expression. "I can't tell you how happy I was when I learned they had found you alive, Nate."

"Tybalt, do _you_ think these current kidnappings could be related?" Audrey asked.

She noted the flicker of surprise in Tybalt's eyes even as he answered slowly, cautiously. "I'm not sure how. It's been over twenty five years."

"Does 'Whistler' mean anything to you?" she asked.

Tybalt's eyes widened in surprise, as a thoughtful expression came upon his face. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time," he said.

"You know who the Whistler is?" Nathan asked, sitting up straighter and placing the remains of his sandwich aside.

"No, but that Hagerson girl does," Tybalt admitted. He gave Nathan a knowing look. "Whoever did those murders back then, she called him the Whistler."

Audrey frowned, gesturing to the small stack of files on the table, files from the missing children and murders from that time. "There was nothing in the reports about anyone named Whistler."

"I don't know about anything about the reports," Tybalt replied with a shrug. "It was probably dismissed as nonsense given her mental state."

"How do you know so much about Tricia Hagerson, Mr Haskil?" Audrey asked.

"I told you. I tried to look out for the children, to stop whoever was killing them," he said, looking upset, regret tingeing his words. "I didn't know about the Seddel boy until after the fire. I tried to stop Tricia but I was too late."

"You were the one who made the call to the police about the Hagerson murders," Audrey said with sudden realization. The file on the Hagerson murder case had merely stated the complaint that had brought the police to the Hagerson home had been given anonymously.

The old man nodded, eyes glistening with tears as his voice shook. "She was going to kill again. She said she had to; that the Whistler had told her to kill her family and then wait for his 'chosen son' to appear. I couldn't let her harm anyone else; to let whatever madness had taken her gain a hold in Haven."

"Why didn't you just tell the police what you saw?" Nathan asked.

"I was going to but then you, Nate, you disappeared the next day," he looked down with a shamefaced expression. "And your father—he had his suspiciojns of me, always had since I came into town."

"Why?" Nathan's eyes narrowed in mistrust.

"Because I was watching you," Tybalt whispered.

"Why were you watching me?"

Audrey's eyes flew from the nervous old man to her partner at the anger in Nathan's voice.

Tybalt turned to Nathan with a pleading look. "You're special. Like the others. But you were…different somehow. I knew you needed protecting so I tried to get close without being noticed by taking the janitor's position at the school. I failed to protect those children in Boston. I couldn't fail here. I thought if I saved them, saved you, it would finally stop."

"What would stop? You're abnormal interest in children?" Nathan's tone was biting, harsh. It was only then that Audrey remembered the police reports from Boston of unsavory allegations against Tybalt Haskil. There was nothing in those investigations that resulted in charges, but there enough accusations and lingering doubts there to make anyone wary of the man around children.

"It's not what you think, Nathan. I swear to God I never touched those children, let alone harmed them. I was trying to protect them! They were special!" Tybalt insisted, looking desperate to convince them that he was telling the truth.

Audrey admitted she got the sense that the old man was telling the truth, or at least believed he was. That he truly believed he was protecting the children. But then her experiences in tracking down pedophiles had shown that few of the sexual predators ever saw their actions as wrong. She could tell that Nathan too had his doubts about the allegations against the old man, but needed more convincing.

"Special how?" Nathan asked.

Tybalt looked at a loss for word for a moment. "I don't know. I just—feel it when I see them." The old man clasped his hands together. "That feeling is stronger when they're in danger. I came to Haven thinking I could be free of this curse and it followed me here. I think God wanted me here to save the children."

Nathan's face had gone blank at the man's words, but Audrey could see the suspicion still lurking in her partner's eyes. "So you left."

"After you were found, it went away," Tybalt replied slowly, looking forlorn. "I couldn't sense the danger to you or any of the other children anymore but, as I said, I knew many suspected me, blamed me. I thought it best to leave. So I did."

"And you never came back. Until now," Audrey noted, seeing Nathan was thinking over the man's words.

"I moved to Canada, married, and had a family." Tybalt looked between the two cops nervously. He leaned forward as if to impart a secret. "I never—_never_ had that sense again until a month ago. I felt it, heard it—like a call, pulling me back here to Haven."

"What call?" The pair asked in surprised unison.

"Like a warning siren. The children are in danger again and I have to stop the monster doing this," Tybalt replied, looking at them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"We'll stop him, Mr. Haskil, but you have to leave it to us. Are you sure there isn't anything else you can tell us, anything at all?" Nathan asked, standing to his feet.

"No, no I'm sorry. I don't know anything else." Tybalt seemed uncertain for a moment before rising to his feet as well. "Except I think Tricia is back. I can sense she's near."

The cops shared a look with one another, silently conferring on the older man's words. "We'll look into it," Audrey assured him.

"I'm sorry, Nathan. I should have come to you sooner about this. I know you'll find those children. I know you'll stop this."

Tybalt suddenly gasped, grabbing his chest and nearly fell over if not for Nathan quickly grabbing the older man and seating him on the chair again.

"Mr. Haskil! Mr. Haskil? Tybalt, can you hear me?" Nathan asked over the moans of the older man.

"I'll get the EMTs," Audrey said, but was pulled short when Tybalt grabbed her hand.

"It's another one. He's taken another. I have to…," Tybalt gasped.

"Another child?" Nathan asked.

"I have to save them!"

Audrey was shocked when she felt herself flung to the ground; her partner's grunt telling her he had suffered the same fate as Tybalt pushed them away with incredible strength. Getting to her knees she saw the old man moving with surprising speed, ducking and weaving through the cars parked nearby with an agility and speed well beyond his years. Well beyond anyone she had ever seen.

"Mr. Haskil, wait!" Audrey called after him.

Both cops were getting to their feet when Stan showed up at their tent with a harried look. The beat cop paused, taken aback by the two detectives pushing themselves up from the ground. Unsure what to do he simply dated his eyes back and forth between the pair looking decidedly uncomfortably. Nathan brushed the dirt from his shoulder and knees as he met the beat cops confused gaze.

"What's up Stan?"

The question brought Stan back on to his task. "Another kid missing: Kenneth Hamilton. Disappeared an hour ago from school," the junior cop informed them.

Nathan nodded wearily, giving Audrey a pointed look. "Thanks Stan. The Chief want us down there?"

Stan shook head. "No, he's already checking it out himself. He wants you and Audrey to stay on this until we know more."

"All right, thank you, Stan," Audrey said by way of dismissal. Stan just shrugged and went back the way we came.

"Should we go after Haskil?" She asked quietly.

"No, he's been here with us. I doubt he could have done the kidnapping and then got here in the time needed." Nathan righted the chairs before taking a seat, looking somewhat at a loss of what to do.

"He did go to Rosemary's," Audrey pointed out. "He could have had time."

Nathan simply shook his head. "We can call Rosemary, confirm he was there and estimate his time to get from there back out here. I don't think there will be any discrepancies or enough unaccounted time."

While she did out right say, Audrey agreed with Nathan's assessment as they finished rearranging the paperwork and maps on the table. "Tybalt is Troubled."

"Hm. Noticed that," Nathan replied dryly. "Still don't think he's who we're looking for though."

Audrey cracked a small smile as she took a seat in the other chair. "So what do we do now?"

Tapping his fingers on his knee, Nathan gave her a long look. "We need to check on Tricia Hagerson."

Audrey nodded in relief, glad Nathan was as concerned about a potential new suspect as he was. "I'll make a few calls."

TBC


	12. Chapter 11

**The Whistler - Chapter 11**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Nathan absently noted his partner's fidgeting as she spoke on the phone to various sources looking into Tricia Hagerson. Sometimes she idly tapped her pen against her note pad. Other times she played with the fingers on one hand, thumb seemingly testing the strength of the remaining digits well manicured fingernails or agitatedly brushing a tendril of flaxen hair that had escaped her ponytail back over a delicate ear.

When she caught him watching her, she returned his gaze with a curious quirk of the mouth that held a hint of amusement. He simply returned the look with a knowing grin, he'd been caught staring at her and simply accepted that fact. She gestured to her phone with an exasperated look and rolled her eyes. Her grin suddenly disappeared and she nodded towards the phone. Nodding in understanding, he decided to focus on his own task rather than be caught out watching his partner speak with some official or other. His partner had been a fine distraction to his troubled thoughts but it was time to get back to work.

Letting her voice wash over him—a lilt in her tone was extraordinarily soothing and eased away the tune in his head—he rifled through topographical maps and assorted reports on the search efforts on the table before him, organizing it all into one cohesive tableau. Sadly, there was little to show for the effort. Nothing more in the way of leads had been found since their discovery of the missing girl's body. The only real progress, as small as it was, was the sketch Vince made of the boy Nathan had spoken to revealed two people, Duke Crocker and Bill McShaw, vaguely remembered seeing him, but both were unable to remember exactly when or where.

Nathan idly traced his fingers over the grids on the map that hadn't been searched yet, absently humming a tune as he did so. A surprising number of the grids had been completed given the short time period, but the vast tracts of land to still be searched seemed overwhelming. He made a mental note at seeing the property line for the Mitchum's land to ask the Selectman for his permission to search the large swath of woods therein. He knew there wouldn't be a problem given Abe's strong support over the past few days during the search operations.

'_At least that's one less problem to deal with.' _Nathan sighed propping himself up on the table as he lowered his head and closed his eyes at the tiredness he still felt despite the short nap he'd been able to get. He idly noted Audrey had gone silent, though he could hear a soft scratching sound—her pen tip inscribing the paper of her notepad.

The tune in his head returned: gentle and lulling.

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

_He's standing in the woods, sky overcast with the promise of rain later in the afternoon as clouds gather overhead. Hearing a gentle rustle behind him, he turns. A small brown haired boy with coffee colored eyes is standing there wearing a dirty grey sweatshirt with a torn left sleeve, blue jeans with muddied knees, and no shoes. He recognizes the boy instantly, not only from the pictures his mom has provided for the search, but from his own interactions with the child a few years earlier._

"_Jimmy?"_

_James Wicks doesn't smile at him or call him 'Officer Worms' as he did the day Nathan was tasked with a safety lecture for the kindergarten class. Whistling, the boy beckons him to follow with curl of a small finger and turns to walk away. He follows the child for what seems a long time, somehow never able to catch up to him even as he hears the child's whistling as if he is standing right beside him. _

_He stumbles to a stop at seeing the boy standing near a large tree with heavy shrubs, a depression in the ground clearly showing signs of disturbance. Nathan can smell it already: the blood, the decay, death. Jimmy points to the dark spot barely hidden by the shrubs and bushes._

"_Find me."_

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

Audrey shook her head as she looked over the information she had just heard over the phone from the Bangor Police Department. Though fully aware of Tricia Hagerson's violent tendencies it had incomprehensively never occurred to the other department to contact Haven PD and let them know of the escape despite the very likely chance the escaped mental patient would return to her hometown. She made a mental note to talk to the Chief about the foul up hoping a complaint from the police chief would carry more weight than that of a former FBI agent turned local detective. Slipping the pen behind her ear, she set the notepad down on the table by her partner.

"You are not going to believe this. Tricia Hagerson escaped from a Bangor mental facility three weeks ago," she said, still annoyed by the incompetence of the other department. When her partner didn't respond with the usual dry witticism or droll comment she expected she looked over to see what held his attention.

Seeing him propped up on the table by his arms, his favorite green jacket bunched up to his elbows, head down and eyes closed—he was asleep as far as she could tell—she didn't know whether to be impressed or concerned that he had literally fallen asleep on his feet. Either way she looked at it, it probably wasn't a good way to rest and decided to rouse him.

"Nathan?"

Nathan heard Audrey speaking but she seemed distant, muffled.

"_How can I find you, Jimmy?"_

_Jimmy looked sad as he pointed to the location again. "Listen."_

_The whistling started again, melodic and haunting._

"Nathan!"

Nathan was brought back to awareness by Audrey touching his face. It had been a brief touch, yet it had been so sudden and shocking to his long insensate skin, the feeling had left him electrified and breathless. He frowned at the sight of her outstretched hand hovering mere inches from his face and her bewildered expression. He felt a twinge of guilt at the reminder of the secret he kept from his partner since Jess left. Fearing she would somehow guess what he was thinking he looked away and he rubbed his ear with a finger as if her shout had hurt his ears. It _had_ hurt a little, but her touch was brought him around.

"What?" He sounded groggy and uncertain. It worried him that he'd so easily drifted off, even now feeling a pull within to be…elsewhere. Focusing on Audrey, he tried to ignore the strange fuzziness in his head. The concerned look in his partner's blue eyes was enough to confirm that she too was worried about him.

Despite her obvious concern—something he valued given the lack of it from so many others— a part of him was suddenly angry at her for interrupting his…dream…whatever it was. All he knew was the melody in his head was louder than ever and the strange pulling sensation was getting stronger, a feeling that he needed to find James Wicks.

_The boy was standing near a large tree with heavy shrubs, a depression in the ground clearly showing signs of disturbance._

Nathan frowned in consternation as realization struck him. He knew exactly where Jimmy was located. He just needed to listen.

Seeing his perplexed expression, Audrey finally lowered her arm. She didn't like the strange look lurking in her partner's eyes; a wily, predatory glint that actually made her want to sidle away from him. "What's wrong?"

He gave his partner a peculiarly cunning smile, one that did little to ease her concern over his sudden change in behavior. "I know where James Wicks is."

With that, he started searching the tent for his gear, muttering about directions, trees, rocks, and weather. He ignored Audrey's queries even as he ordered her—a rare event in their partnership—to get a team together. She was still putting on her gear when he stormed out of the tent, pausing to look at the hazy sky with a critical expression.

"Not long now," he muttered. He looked around for a moment and then strode off determinedly to the nearby woods, long gait rapidly eating up the distance.

"Nathan, where are you going?" Audrey called after him, huffing in annoyance as her equipment seemed to fight her even more than her partner. She finally was kitted out and stormed out after her partner, who already had reached the edge of the woods, only to bump into Duke.

She lost her footing, but fortunately Duke easily kept her on her feet, looking equal parts amused and puzzled at the blond cop's hurry. "Whoa, Audrey, what's going on?" Tracking his gaze over to where the shorter woman was staring he was surprised to see Nathan determinedly tromping off towards the woods alone.

"Where's Nathan going?" he wondered aloud, genuinely mystified by the man's actions.

"Nathan, wait!" Audrey called. She was surprised when her partner actually stopped short of the woods and turned to look at her, his body language clearly indicated his impatience at her lagging behind.

She looked over at Duke with a concerned expression. No, more than concerned, Duke decided: she was afraid. "I don't know. He zoned out and then suddenly he said he knew where James Wicks was and started packing up like a wild man."

Duke frowned in concern at her words, nervously scratching his chin as he looked over to find Nathan still waiting, impatiently pacing from side to side with a resolute expression. "I'll go after him," he offered. "I think you better tell Chief Wuornos what's going on."

When she started to open her mouth in protest he cut her off. "Audrey…I'm going." He looked back over to see Nathan's impatience had won out and the man was rapidly disappearing into the woods. 'W_hat the hell? Is he running?'_

Duke grabbed Audrey's pack away from her slinging it over his shoulder as he started to trot away. "Just, hurry up, 'kay?" He called over his shoulder.

TBC


	13. Chapter 12

A/N: An extra cautionary warning for this chapter for some potentially upsetting and/or disturbing imagery herein.

**The Whistler - Chapter 12**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Duke was breathing hard and had to stop after losing sight of Nathan for the third time. Fortunately the cop wasn't making any effort to conceal his rush through the woods, so Duke wasn't concerned about being unable to find the other man's trail of muddy boot prints, snapped twigs and broken stems. No, he was just pissed—and a bit envious at the moment—that nothing seemed to slow down his sometimes nemesis.

He slowly followed the trail the cop left behind, catching his breath as he did so, looking for any and all clues and signs to ensure he was still on the right path and not getting himself lost. The trampled ferns and young moosewood, the occasional snapped branch of a sapling, scuff marks on the moss of a fallen fir, and the rare torn tendrils of woodbine clearly marked the trail Nathan had taken in his rush.

Duke froze in his tracks at an odd sound drifting through the still air. It occurred to him for the first time since this little chase began the woods have been too silent. Until now.

'_Whistling?'_

Carefully following the tune, he quickly stumbled onto Nathan huddled by a cluster of shrubs near a large tree, digging for all he was worth with a small entrenching tool. The cop's hands and forearm were caked in mud and his face and clothes weren't much better.

His former friend's disheveled appearance wasn't what worried Duke the most, though. It was the intense look on Nathan's face. The smuggler cautiously approached the other man with an overwhelming sense of wariness. "Nathan, what are you doing?" he asked gently.

Nathan fixed Duke with a piercing glare that actually made the man take a step back. Duke felt like he was looking into the eyes of a complete stranger even as the cop barked an order at him in a way that usually annoying way he had. "Dig or shut up, Duke."

No, it wasn't Nathan's words that made Duke nervous; it was what was under the look and tone that made Duke cautious. There was a predatory glint in the cop's eyes, dark, cunning, and hate-filled, a gaze that hinted of madness. It reminded Duke of when Nathan had come to the Cape Rouge and tried to strangle him. While Duke liked to think that even under the troubled-induced madness Nathan would not have killed him, he had his doubts. Nathan's eyes and expression had held so much anger and bitterness at the time that the smuggler couldn't help but wonder how much of that anger Nathan held within everyday.

Deciding prudence was the best option Duke stood perfectly still and remained silent. Despite the wild gleam in Nathan's eyes, he was reasonably certain the cop had little interest in him. After a moment's consideration, Nathan snorted in derision and went back to his whistling as he resumed his manic digging.

From his vantage point, Duke could tell someone had been digging in the area recently. He had a sickening feeling about what Nathan was going to find.

A moment later, Nathan tossed his tool aside and very carefully used his hands to brush away dirt from what he had found. When Nathan's whistling abruptly ended, Duke looked closer to see what he has found. A small, pale foot stood out in sharp contrast to the dark earth.

"Crap," Duke murmured, feeling a burning sensation in his eyes that he blinked away. Unable to bring himself to watch he looked up at the rapidly accumulating clouds in the darkening sky. He stared at the heavens for a long time. He listened to Nathan's near silent movements as he renewed digging as the soft scrape of metal into earth became a slow, steady, haunting sound.

Duke could distantly hear Audrey and the others coming towards then in the woods, the Chief's voice booming through the otherwise silent forest calling their names. When he heard the digging nearby him stop once again, he finally dropped his gaze from above but could not bring himself to look in Nathan's direction. He turned instead to the approaching party—as haphazard a group of men and women as any Duke had ever seen—and waved when he spotted Audrey leading the way.

Despite his better judgment, when he heard Nathan sigh, he looked over to see the man looking worn out and dazed as he leaned back away from the brush and rose unsteadily to his feet to reveal the body of a young boy wearing what might have once been a grey sweatshirt and blue jeans. Nathan's eyes were as hollow as his tone when he gave voice to what they both already knew.

"It's James Wicks."

Duke gasped in surprise when Nathan suddenly winced, hands clutching his head and fell to his knees; eyes squeezed shut as if he were in pain. Uncertain what was happening or what do, Duke hovered nearby watching Nathan writhe for a several seconds in silent agony. When the episode passed and the cop opened his watery blue eyes again, he looked confused, blinking owlishly at Duke in obvious confusion. Before the smuggler even could react the cop's eyes rolled back in his head and he pitched forward.

"Nathan!"

Duke quickly rushed to the cop's side, nearly gagging on the emanations coming from the newly unearthed body. He dragged the other man away from the body even as he called for help. Settling Nathan on his side, when he turned the cop's head Duke was surprised to find blood pouring from the Nathan's nose, coating his face. Before he could even think what to do Audrey and a paramedic were at their side. He instantly backed away as Audrey grasped Nathan's head in her hand's clearly worried at the state she found her partner in.

The paramedic quickly shooed Audrey away from his patient, asking Duke a series of questions that smuggler had no real answers for. He quickly told the EMT of Nathan's behavior before he collapsed, which only seemed to make the other medical professional frown in concern as he quickly got to work. He was soon joined by another paramedic as the remainder of the search party filtered into the area.

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

Audrey pulled Duke away from the tree he had slouched against on for the last ten minutes, watching the two groups go about their work on the body and Nathan but not really seeing them. "What happened?"

"He knew," Duke said quietly, sounding almost afraid. He wiped his hand over his mouth, unconsciously trying to stave off the desire to vomit. At Audrey's questioning look he swallowed hard and continued. "Somehow, Nathan—he knew where that kid was."

He shook his head even as Audrey guided him even further away from where the EMTs were looking over Nathan. Her partner had briefly awoken shortly after the arrival of her and the ad hoc rescue team the Chief had assembled. Nathan had been explaining his discovery when he started to speak some sort of gibberish before he went into convulsions and passed out again. The episode had left Audrey visibly shaken, and Chief Wuornos frozen in obvious fear for his son. Audrey was just grateful Dave Teagues and Abe Mitchum were there and able to keep the Chief from alternating between stridently demanding to know what was happening to his son and brooding in silence.

She in turn, focused on the one man who had a clue what had happened: Duke.

"How the hell did he do it?" Duke asked, voice rising in near panic.

"Duke, calm down." Audrey said. She pulled him away several more yards until they were well away from people before she felt comfortable asking him what occur.

"What happened, Duke?" she asked softly, casting another worried glance at the two clusters of people—one around her partner, the other around the remains.

"You didn't see him. It was—He wasn't—I…." The smuggler threw up his hands in frustration. "It wasn't Nathan," he finally said.

"I know," Audrey replied evenly, a calculating look on her face.

Her answer caught Duke by surprise. He cast a brief glance back at where Nathan lay before lowering his head and nervously wetting his lips. "What? He's been…influenced again?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so but given this." Audrey waved to where Nathan lay with the Chief and several other volunteers were clustered around while several officers marked and secured the scene. "I don't know."

"Who did this?" Duke asked, surprising Audrey with the fury in his voice. She'd rarely seen the dark haired man angry and had never seen his normally warm brown eyes a shade nearly obsidian in color nor as sharp and brittle. "Who's the son of a bitch killing these kids?"

"I don't know," Audrey admitted, trying to be gently and calm the man down. "But there's a man in town that came to us. Tybalt Haskil. Somehow…somehow he knows about the missing kids."

"Do you think he's doing this?" Duke asked.

Audrey brushed back a lock of hair behind her ear with a shake of the head. "No. But I think he's connected somehow. Connected to the kids and whoever is killing them."

"So he's Troubled?" Duke confirmed.

"Yeah," she admitted reluctantly. "He said he tried to help back in 1984. I think he really was trying to help back then. And I think he may be able to help us find the killer now. But we need to find him first."

"He's probably living at his old place on Green Street," Duke told her. At her questioning look he gave her a strained innocent smile. He liked to keep tabs on who came and went from his chosen home port and what they did. More than one of his wealthier clients over the years had rented the Haskil home when they had some long term dealings to be done in town. His tone was less than innocent as he revealed what he knew. "I know somebody's been maintaining it all these years, it's rented out to tourists during the summer."

"It's a place to start. Let's get going." Audrey gestured for the smuggler to follow her.

TBC


	14. Chapter 13

**The Whistler - Chapter 13**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Audrey pounded on the dark brown door of the house. The colonial style home was old, but well maintained. None of the house's light grey paint was worn or faded, the shutters and trim a crisp, dark blue, the lawn looked and smelled like it had been recently mowed, and the porch appeared to have been redone in recent years. All of this confirmed Duke's information that someone had been maintaining the property in the years Tybalt Haskil had been away from Haven.

"Mr. Haskil. Are you in there?" Audrey called out.

"Car is in the driveway," Duke noted, pointing to the non-descript beige late model sedan parked in the drive. The mud and grime on the tires and wheel wells were confirmation enough for Audrey to believe it was the car Tybalt had driven when he assisted the support groups at the searcher's base camp.

She knocked on the door again, harder. "Tybalt, it's Officer Parker from the Haven Police Department. I need to speak with you."

She stopped to listen and was about to knock again when she heard the slide bolt in the door move. Stepping back she pushed Duke out of the line of sight, resting a hand on her pistol. The door opened a fraction, enough for her to see Tybalt's lined face and his bright hazel eyes give her a sharp look before he closed it. There was a rustle of chain and then the old man opened the door, looking worn out and weary, his clothes rumpled and short hair disheveled.

"They found another one, didn't they?" Tybalt asked softly. He turned away, waling back into his home. Audrey followed the older man inside. Duke was behind her every step, his steps sounding cautious as his boots struck the wood floor.

"Yes, they did. Tybalt, if you know anything, you need to tell me."

The old man slowly settled himself into a maroon leather recliner that had seen better days. He gestured towards the small grey sofa across from him, which Audrey took as an invitation to sit. Aside from the recliner and the couch the living room with its cream colored walls and dark wood floors was spartan: a small fireplace with a painting of a stormy seaside hung above and a small stack of logs set in a wall nook, and a bare coffee table with a copy of the previous day's edition of the Herald.

"I figured it out. I figured it all out, Audrey." The frown on his face made the wrinkles on his forehead, around his eyes and mouth appear deeper. As he spoke she could see his fingers dig into the leather, tension growing with each word spoke. "I thought the monster had left, but he never did. It's my fault, all my fault."

"Tybalt, what did you figure out? What do you think is your fault?" Audrey asked carefully.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was me. I didn't know I led him right to the special ones." He looked at her with a pleading expression, his hazel eyes red rimmed and haunted.

Audrey and Duke share a confused look, the smuggler shrugging his shoulders having no idea what the old man was talking about. "Who? The Whistler?" Audrey asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't know," Tybalt repeated. He looked down in shame, voice dropping to a near whisper. "I led the Whistler right to the children, the special ones. The ones he could make like him; make him strong."

"I don't understand," Audrey said, scooting forward onto the edge of the sofa. "You're saying this Whistler person needs Troubled children?"

Tybalt looked up at her with a nod, relieved at her apparent understanding. "The Whistler, I think…I think he wants power, not just during the Troubles but all the time. He wants more like him so he can become stronger."

Tybalt shook his head, scratching above his ear and then waving his hand as if shooing away a particularly annoying fly. "It's my fault. It's my fault. If I had stayed away he wouldn't have ever known who to take."

"You think our murderer used you to pick his victims?" Duke asked, earning a surprised look from Audrey.

Tybalt paused in his waving and looked at Duke, seemingly surprised to realize the man was even there. After a moment he slowly nodded. "I didn't realize until I saw the list of children—the list you had at the command post—and where they had been taken. I only realized later that it was me. I had seen them, felt drawn to watch over them. And that's why he chose them."

"You couldn't possibly know what was happening," Audrey assured the old man.

Tybalt stood up suddenly. "But she's here. I saw her and should have known then!"

Audrey cautiously got up from her seat. "Who?"

Tybalt's eyes had become wide, almost crazed. "Tricia is here in Haven! I saw her. She came back. He's gathering his favored children. We have to stop him! We have to…," The old man started swiping at the air near both his ears this time, muttering. "He wants to make more, more like him, more, more, more."

Audrey managed to get a hold of both of Tybalt flailing arms. "Please, sir. Tybalt, please calm down."

"You don't understand!" Tybalt begged in desperation. He clutched Audrey's arms painfully, eyes wide in realization. "Natham! He's coming to claim Nathan. You have to find him, he's in danger."

"Nathan's fine," Audrey assured the old man. "He's safe."

Tybalt looked despairingly as he released his grasp of her arms and pulled free of Audrey with surprisingly strength for a man his age, the same hidden strength Audrey remembered tossing her and her partner aside with ease. "You don't understand. Nathan belongs to him!"

"You're saying Nathan is working…with the killer?" Duke asked incredulously.

The old man looked uncertain, head twitching to the side as a far away look flitted across his features. "I don't know…but I know he hears the song. They all hear the song when he comes for them."

"Nathan would never help a killer," Audrey said, "Especially one hurting children."

Tybalt's features sharpened, an icy look coming to his eyes that was calculating and threatening. "He won't have a choice. He'll be just like that poor girl." Tybalt assured her confidently. "You have to find him, save him before it is too late. He's back there now. I know it."

"How?"

Tybalt's smile was humorless as he waved his fingers near his ears. "I hear the music too. It's how I was looking for the killer. It's how we find each other," Tybalt spoke softly. The old man closed his eyes and whistled softly, a tune that Audrey had become all too familiar with the past few days. A chill crawled down her spine at the sound of it.

"So where's the Whistler?" Audrey asked.

Tybalt simply kept whistling, eyes shut, apparently oblivious to his guests. A disturbing smile curled his lips.

Slumping back into the sofa in defeat, Audrey sighed. She didn't know whether to believe the old man or not but there was one way to confirm at least one of his assertions. She pulled her cell phone from her jacket and placed a call. After several rings and still no pick up on the other end she started to worry. Frowning, she sat forward again.

"What's wrong?" Duke asked, diverted from watching Mr. Haskil whistling softly, lost in his own world.

"Nathan's not picking up," she replied quietly.

"Maybe he's outside of coverage range," Duke offered. It was well known to the residents of Haven that cell phone coverage was spotty outside of the town and became nonexistent in the woods.

Audrey nodded in acknowledgement of his words, taking no comfort in them. "He's supposed to be at the camp which has coverage," she noted. She stood up, listening to the phone for a moment more before snapping it shut. "Nathan, where are you?" she mumbled to herself as she dialed again, this time for the Chief.

It only took a two minute conversation with the Chief to confirm her suspicions. Nathan had disappeared from the camp site, his Bronco still sitting where he had parked it that morning. Unsurprisingly, the Chief started firing off questions she had no answers to before ordering her back to the site.

"I got to get back," Audrey told Duke as she slipped her phone back into her coat pocket. She looked over at Tybalt considering what to do with him. Coming to a decision she nodded to herself. "Could you help me get Mr. Haskil back to the camp?"

"Of course," Duke replied easily. His brow furrowed in concern as he moved to grasp the older man by the shoulders and guide him out of his home. "Nathan?"

"We need to find him," she replied.

Duke looked grim as they guided the still whistling old man from his home and settled him into the back seat of Audrey's car. Duke quietly watched Audrey snapped the seat belt securely in place and carefully close the door.

"If Mr. Haskil is right, you know where Nathan went." He watched her eyes look at the oblivious man in the back of her car for a long moment before she met his gaze with a knowing expression.

"Wytchebough."

TBC


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: An additional warning for this chapter for potentially disturbing imagery.

**The Whistler - Chapter 14**

_By Karolyn Gray_

_He watched the flash of light of the thin metal, fascinated by the way edge of the blade is so sharp and slick with the crimson fluid. The Whistler's song sounded cheery and jaunty as he efficiently cleaned the viscous liquid from the blade, showing him it once his task was complete._

"_A clean edge is crucial to a clean cut," the man told him and the others nearby, sounding very much like his teachers in school. "Your tools must be perfect, your intent clear, in order to attain the perfect order we seek."_

_He didn't care about perfection, or clarity, or order. The music in his head was jarring; a painful clash of the Whistler's song, his guardian's cajoling tune, and the new light melody he heard as he slept. His head actually hurt and all he felt was the dark anger grotesquely twisting within him as he listened to the cacophony, feeding off it as it erased his old fears, his restraint. He knew he should be afraid, he had seen things that should have had him whimpering and crying like the others nearby, and the others now gone, but he's different. He is numb except for the anger, the rage, the desire for revenge._

_The man started whistling the familiar tune once more, and he squeezed his eyes shut as his vision went red in blinding fury with the dissonance of it. When he opened his eyes, he saw the blade move once more to the flesh. He knew what was expected of him, what was necessary._

"_I want to do it," he demanded, feeling sick and excited, almost giddy at the perverse desire coiling within. The Whistler looked at him speculatively. His dark eyes glittered dangerously as he pursed his lips in thought. _

_A moment later, the blade was in his hand. He grinned ferally, contempt rising within at the man's foolish trust. He felt something inside him come forth, something he hadn't expected: strength and power, hate and vengeance. He was a mere boy but he knew the truth of this man. The music revealed his vile secret and he would use it against him. _

_He shared a wicked smile with his would be mentor-victim. A flicker of doubt shone in those dark eyes. He lashed out with the silvery blade._

_Clear. Perfect. Precise. _

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

Nathan shook his head, wondering woozily what he had been daydreaming about. He quickly shrugged off his concern as he whistled what had become a reassuring familiar tune to him over recent days. It had become so comforting a fixture in his mind, he sometimes thought he could hear words accompanying the tune, even as it guided him to beckoning call in the distance.

Nathan was not sure how long he'd been walking through the thick woods, over and around underbrush, roots, and fallen trees. All he knew was he can feel his way through the woods, feel a safe path to follow, guiding him to the destination he can hear and see in his mind. It was surprisingly simply get up from the cot at the medical tent and walk away without anyone noticing.

Not that many seemed interested in him. It was if he wasn't even there. Such anonymity was welcome given the confrontation with Kenneth Hamilton's father.

Keith Hamilton had shown up shortly after Nathan had been checked out by the medics, whose insistence he go the hospital to be checked over was rejected. Keith had raged at the Haven PD in general about his missing son and Nathan in particular, reminding Nathan his little sister, Leigh, had been amongst those who went missing in eighty-four. The man had finally broken down into tears when Nathan had assured Keith he wouldn't stop looking for his son. He wouldn't let Keith spend the rest of his life wondering what happened to his son as he had with his sister.

He had to convince the EMTs a second time he was fine and that the bloody nose was a result of his passing out and not the cause of it. Nathan then stoically listened to a lecture from his dad, the Chief, about procedures and duty and so forth, recognizing it for what it was: his father's way of expressing his concern and love. With both the EMTs and his father he had to keep himself focused on them and not let the tune in his mind distract him. He didn't want to admit it, but his vision and discovery of James Wicks had left him shocked and apprehensive.

Without his partner there to confide in, he found himself stuck with writing a preliminary report on the incident for the Chief. The pulling sensation within had become stronger, more distracting, as he filled out the report on how he discovered James Wick's body. He felt something building within, as a foreboding feeling washed over him, a call that kept distracting him from his work.

Twice he found himself drifting towards the woods: once when he got up to get some coffee and the second time when he went to get a file on the recently added second table. He wanted nothing more than to be away from the crowd of the campsite, everything about them stirring anger in him, anger and growing hatred. He just wanted them gone so he could be alone and listen.

That was what he wanted, to get away so he could answer the call.

So he left.

"Hi, Nate."

He stopped, unsurprised to see the blond haired boy with the hazel eyes and yellow slicker come around the tree ahead and to the right of him. There was no blood running down his face this time, but the dirt, mud and grime still remained on his blue jeans and mud caked shoes. The boy's angular face seemed almost gaunt with his pale features as he solemnly watched Nathan approach him. Nathan could see a deep sorrow in the boy's eyes. He felt it himself.

He knew the boy and felt guilty at forgetting who he was.

"Hi, Mike."

The boy's solemn expression slipped a little as a small smile came to his lips. "You remember now."

_Darkness. The smell of blood and fear. The cloying scent of mold and damp earth. A tormentor cowering in terror. Whispered promises. Hazel eyes watched him with hope and gratitude as he willingly walked up the stairs to the horror waiting above._

Nathan merely nodded. "You're not going to run off on me this time, are you?" he asked.

The boy shook his head. "No, I need to show you."

Nathan finished closing the gap between them and knelt down to be eye to eye with Mike, relieved when the child just stood there and met his gaze firmly. "What is it? If it's about the murderer…."

"I can show you now," the boy replied calmly.

Nathan already knew what the child could show him, but he found he wanted to know what had changed. "Why couldn't you show me before?"

The boy looked away for a moment, as if listening to something far off, perhaps the song Nathan himself heard beckoning him…them…_home_, before meeting the cop's gaze once more and smiled. "You weren't ready before."

"I…," Nathan wasn't sure what to say to that child's assertion. He can hear the whistling in his head, an old familiar tune, over and over. It was a mere whisper, but it was there, and it was calling him.

"You can hear it now, the music—the whistling." The child wasn't asking him, the boy was telling him what he already knew.

Nathan finally, reluctantly admitted to the one of the things he has kept hidden from everyone—from himself—these past few days. "Yeah."

"Me too," the boy said with a slight smile. He pointed into the woods, in the direction Nathan could now admit had drawn him. "Please, let me show you."

"Okay." Nathan offered his hand to the young boy, who readily took it without comment. The small hand was engulfed by the cop's larger grip. Nathan shivered in surprise when he realized he could feel that Mike's hand was freezing cold. The boy merely looked at him with a serene expression. After a moment of relishing the long lost sensation, Nathan simply nodded and rose to his feet. Together they walked towards the music.

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

As they walked the music grew louder and Nathan found himself whistling along to it. Moments later the boy was whistling with him as well, higher pitched but harmoniously matched. For a moment Nathan wanted to stop, confused as to why he was blindly walking along in the woods with a child who was linked to the killer, a child whose fate had been decided long ago.

He stopped whistling, stopped walking, and reached for the radio he had brought with him. He needed to call in, to tell someone what was going on. He needed to tell Audrey he was fine and had figured it out. That everything would be all right. He knew what was going on and what he had to do to stop it.

For a brief moment the woods were silent, his mind was silent.

"We have to finish this."

Mike, who had stopped with him shook his head and started whistling again. The music was back and Nathan found himself back in harmonious synch with the child once more, the song in his mind louder than ever. He didn't need to tell anyone what was happening. Audrey would know what to do when the time came. _They _promised him that much. Soon, everything would be as it should.

He dropped the radio to the ground without a second thought and continued with the boy on their chosen path together.

A time later, the woods began to thin out a little. The larger canopy trees gave way to groundcover and even the ground cover soon turned sparse as they got closer to their destination. He smelled a hint of wood smoke in the air long before they actually could see the cabin in the distance. He stopped in surprise as he recognized this place. He couldn't recall ever being here before and yet he knew this place well.

_Wytchebough. _

He knew that cabin. He knew that barn like structure beside it.

_The workshop._

"I…I know this place," he whispered to himself.

"Nathan Wuornos, my how you've grown." The voice was feminine, lilting, soft, and sultry. It was a voice he would have defined as genuinely beautiful and seductive were it not for the underlying icy tone that put him on edge.

Nathan spun to his left to find a woman about his age with short black hair curling around her thin face, mirth glittering in her brown eyes as she glided towards him, barefoot, with a smile. A hint of pink on her cheeks was the only indication that she felt any of the chill weather. Oddly, she wore a simple light blue sundress that seemed to emphasize the paleness of her long, slender legs and arms.

Nathan had the impression that he should know her, but shook the thought away. He didn't recognize her and was certain he had not seen her in Haven before. Still, he wondered. "Do I know you?"

"No, not really." The woman pouted a little as she stopped in front of him, but the pout soon faded away to an overly bright smile as she offered to shake hands with him. "I'm Tricia. We never met in school but I remember how everyone talked about the strange Wuornos boy. If I'd known how handsome you would grow up to be I'd have paid more attention back then." She giggled at that.

"Nate, don't listen to her!" The boy beside him said, sounding frightened.

For Nathan it all suddenly clicked together. "Tricia Hagerson?"

"Don't listen to her Nate," Mike urged again.

Tricia frowned at the boy and shook her finger chastisingly. "Oh hush you naughty boy. You'll not spoil our fun."

When Mike went silent and hunched his head down, Tricia smiled sweetly at Nathan once more, pleased that the cop seemed to know her. "I'm surprised you remember."

"You escaped from Bangor psych facility," Nathan said warily.

Tricia merely nodded her head in agreement. She gestured back towards the cabin as she explained herself. "I had to. I had to come back here, just like you."

"Nate, please, please don't listen to her. You need to leave now!" Mike whispered desperately.

Nathan grabbed Tricia's arms. She gasped in surprise before suddenly bursting into a fit of laughter. Surprised at her reaction he let her go. Heaving an amused sound and running her hands over her arms, Tricia gave him a coy expression.

"Where are we? Wytchebough?" he demanded

Tricia smiled broadly, eyes glittering brightly in excitement. "Where it all started, silly. Where the Whistler chose us."

And then Nathan's world went dark.

"_Welcome home, Nathan."_

TBC


	16. Chapter 15

A/N: The story is starting to go into the home stretch now, with only 7-8 chapters left to go.

**The Whistler - Chapter 15**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Audrey thought the staging area felt strangely bereft with so many people having left the search. The discovery of two dead children in as many days had convinced a number of volunteers that they would be of no help to the police. Reports surfacing of several missing children across the central coast of the state from as far back as two months only reinforced the sentiment as people began to fear for the safety of their own children. Chief Wuornos had issued a curfew on the town, the call going out as she drove Duke and Tybalt back to the base camp. He had requested the remaining volunteers to depart and allow the police to deal with the search and investigation from here on in.

When she pulled into the nearly vacant field she could see there were still a sizable number of people present—mostly Hunt Club members as far as Audrey could tell. As she climbed out of her vehicle, she was surprised to see a number of Driscoll's parishioners still making sure there was plenty of refreshment for the remaining searchers and police. Nearby, two paramedics sat listening to a radio under the medical tent situated near their ambulance, quietly chatting amongst themselves

Making sure Duke and Tybalt—who had come out of his fugue state on the drive over—were following, Audrey headed straight for the command tent. At the sight of the Teagues hanging around the tent Audrey wanted to groan. She was fond of the newspapermen but didn't really feel like dealing with them given her greater concerns over Tybalt's proclamations. Unsurprisingly, both men saw her, brightening considerably as she and her companions approached.

"Hey, Audrey, care to make a statement to the Herald about the investigation?" Dave asked sounding far more cheerful than his expression indicated. He still wore his hunting gear from the search while his taller brother was more casually dressed in grey slacks, loafers, and a maroon sweater buttoned up over a striped shirt.

Audrey shook her head and tried to smile apologetically. "Not now guys. Have you seen Nathan?"

Vince shook his head, looking slightly puzzled by her question. "No, we were looking for him actually; see if we could get a statement about those poor children."

"Good luck with that," Audrey said gently, subtly reminding them of Nathan's habitual refusal to give any information out to the press during ongoing cases—even if the newspapermen acted more like kindly eccentric uncles than journalists. The brothers just took her words in stride, smiling innocently as they nodded in response to her words. She knew her reminder wouldn't prevent them from asking her partner questions anyway. She'd discovered soon after partnering with Nathan the two old reporters would habitually drop by the station asking questions and would routinely be denied by Nathan after several minutes of gossiping and rumor mongering by the pair in an attempt to wear the young detective down.

Audrey paused just as she passed the two old reporters and turned back to them. Usually a good source of information she decided to ask them about the new leads Tybalt had given her. "Hey, do you guys know a Tricia Hagerson?"

The pair glanced at one another, both giving each other a subtle shrug. "No, doesn't sound familiar," Dave said slowly.

"No, afraid not," Vince echoed his brother.

"She was the girl who was kidnapped and found back in 1984," Audrey prompted them.

Recognition dawned on both of their faces before the pair shared a knowing look. Vince cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable as he answered. "And then killed her family."

"Terrible tragedy," Dave chimed in.

"She's back in Haven," Audrey said simply.

The brothers looked aghast at her words, sharing alarmed looks with one another. "She's supposed to be locked up in Bangor," Dave said incredulously.

"She escaped." Tybalt Haskil stepped forward, nervously grasping his hands together. "And she's back here in Haven."

Vince looked curiously at the old man accompanying Audrey and Duke, who simply watched the exchange with barely concealed impatience. Dave wasn't so curious. His face flushed with anger and disgust. Audrey couldn't recall ever seeing him react in such a manner.

"Tybalt Haskil, you rotten little bas…."

"Guys!" Audrey stepped between Dave—who had stepped threateningly forward—and Tybalt, gently pushing the journalist back with Vince's help. "Did Tricia Hagerson ever say anything about her kidnapping, something you didn't print?"

Dave gave Tybalt another scathing look before he focused on Audrey. She could see him think for a moment before nodding. "Yes, she described a place out in the woods—a cabin with a workshop. If I recall correctly the police checked out several cabins in the area and they turned out to be clean. Why?"

Audrey ignored the older man's curiosity. "Does Wytchebough mean anything to you?"

"It is an area of the forest that is part of the Mitchum's property," Dave replied.

"Most folks call the whole area Wytchebough," Vince added helpfully.

"Isn't that where Nathan found that girl?" Dave asked curiously.

"And where Nathan was found twenty five years ago?" Audrey asked in return.

Both brothers looked uncertain at that, Dave noticeably paling. Vince shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "I believe so, yes." Vince finally replied.

"Did one of the searched cabins belong to Absalom Mitchum?" Audrey asked.

Dave shifted a little, looking uncomfortable as he answered. "Yes, but like I said, the place was checked out. The Mitchums made every effort to assist in the investigation back then. Abe's oldest daughter was one of the victims that were never found. It took a terrible toll on them. The family patriarch—Gabriel Mitchum committed suicide shortly after she disappeared."

Audrey's face fell at that. Given that new bit of information about Abe Mitchum's daughter she could see why the Selectman had such a strong interest in the current spate of kidnappings and murders and deflated some of her suspicions. "I thought we had something there."

"Sorry we couldn't be of more help," Vince said.

"It's all right guys. Thanks." Audrey thought for a moment if there was anything else, anything that the old newspapermen might be able to help her with. Then a thought struck her, it was a long shot. "Hey, does the term Whistler mean anything to you?"

"Whistler?" Vince seemed to savor the word for a moment as he and Dave looked at one another in surprise. "Could be, why?"

"You know something. What is it?" Audrey demanded.

Vince shrugged seeming to think whatever he knew was unimportant but willing to share it with the young woman. "It was a nickname we had for Abe Mitchum back in the day on account of he liked to whistle. A lot. Said it made things easier for him."

"Yes, there was this one song in particular…," Dave added frowning slightly, "but I don't recall the name of the song."

A whistling sound cut into the air, a tune that was jaunty and melancholy. They turned and listened to Tybalt Haskil whistle a few more bars of the tune before stopping, looking ill.

"Yes, I think that was it," Vince said, pointing at Tybalt.

"That's the same tune Nathan's been humming," Duke said suddenly.

"Are you sure?" Audrey asked, even as she realized Duke was right. Nathan had been humming and whistling that tune since the morning they heard it on the radio station.

"Pretty sure," Duke replied. He looked entirely too satisfied as he smiled wolfishly at Audrey. "I think you might have a suspect."

Dave looked offended at Duke and Audrey's implication. "Are you trying to say Absalom Mitchum is the one killing the children? That's…"

"A theory," Audrey interrupted him. "You said his family has a cabin near here?"

"Yes," Dave said slowly, looking decidedly more mulish with each passing second. Audrey didn't blame him. She knew she would have trouble believing someone she'd known all her life, someone who'd served the town and was well known for his generosity, was potentially a murderer. She hoped her theory about the Selectman was wrong but pieces seemed to coming together and they appeared to be pointed at Absalom Mitchum.

"Show me on the map." She led them over to the table, spreading out the map in question for Vince and Dave to get a better look at. "We need to get there as quickly as possible."

"You think Nathan's there," Dave asked sounding less confident in the face of Audrey determination and certainty. At her nod, he grabbed a pencil from the table and quickly marked a spot after a moment's consideration. The mark was not far from the mark where 'Wytchebough' had been penciled in. Audrey was relieved to see the map indicated there was an access road leading to the cabin, not liking the idea of having to slog through miles of woods to reach the remote location.

"Thank you," Audrey said sincerely. Both simply nodded in return, too stunned by the possibilities to speak.

"I think I need to get the Chief on board with this so we can search that cabin." Audrey was saying as she turned to ask Tybalt if he was certain only to find him gone. She blinked at seeing the older man was simply gone. "Where's Mr. Haskil?"

Duke waved his hands apologetically as he realized the old man had disappeared from his side. "Sorry, he was there a minute ago."

"Damn it," Audrey muttered, confused and frustrated by the man's sudden disappearing act. But that too was starting to fit into a pattern surrounding the kidnappings.

She saw a familiar cop standing by the command tent. "Stan! Get me the Chief on the radio. I think we have a break."

Duke came up beside her, speaking only loud enough for his words to reach her ears. "You know, if what Haskil says is true, Nathan…he might not be himself."

"Nathan would never harm someone like that, especially a kid," she replied just as quietly.

"And if the Whistler is controlling him somehow?" Duke tilted his head off to the side as if wanting to shake the very idea from his head. "I'm just saying you need to be ready for that."

Audrey sighed softly. "I know."

TBC


	17. Chapter 16

A/N: An extra warning for possibly disturbing imagery.

**The Whistler - Chapter 16**

_By Karolyn Gray_

_He smelled dampness, dirt, and decay around him. He also smelled urine, feces, and mold. The combined stench almost overwhelmed another smell he recognized all too well – blood. _

_He groaned as he opened his eyes, a lone lamp dimly illuminated the dark room he found himself in. He knew the room was relatively small—about half the size of the floor above, but the shadows cast on the crumbling and cracked white concrete walls stained with years of damp—older sections incongruously clad in wood slats—made it seem cavernous in the flickering lamp's soft golden glow. It took him a moment to recall where he was. When it came to him, he felt the terror and fear clamor for control of him once more. He tried to block out the screams and the reasons for them. He didn't want to remember, he can't remember, he wanted to forget it all, forget the nightmare, the terror, and the blood._

_He heard whimpering off to his left, soft but still eerily loud in this confined space. He opened his eyes and saw a small form curled up into a tight ball. He recognized the other child, a boy. He gasped when the boy met his gaze with terror in his hazel eyes._

Nathan gasped as he woke with a start. He tried to move his arms and frowned when he realized he could not. Shaking his head to clear away the last vestiges of stupor, he tried once again to move his arms. Turning his head he saw his arms were bound above him with thick chains and a sturdy padlock attached to a metal bar mounted into concrete pylons. He was not so high that his feet aren't touching the wooden floor but he was straining never less to keep his balance on his toes.

"I'm sorry."

Nathan looked over to the source of the voice only to see the blond haired boy—Mike, he remembered the boys name was Mike—as dirty and sad looking as ever. The boy was unrestrained but clearly too afraid to try and escape their captors on his own.

"Not your fault," he assured Mike.

Nathan took in his surroundings carefully noting the simple wooden stairs and the overall rough hewn walls of their prison. He could tell the wood cladding was mounted over the cell's concrete walls. Some of the wood was old, dark with damp and rot in some places, others bright and fresh cut from new repairs. There appeared to be a general dampness given the sheen on the wood and exposed concrete that allowed mold and fungus to grow in the corners.

His eyes passed over what appeared to be pile of clothes and he froze as he realized the mass was moving slowly but rhythmically. He looked closer and could see dark hair and light skin.

"Hey," Nathan says urgently. "Hey, kid."

The child moved ever so slight peering out at him from under a mop of black hair. It was enough for Nathan to recognize Kenneth Hamilton. "Hey, Kenny is that you? Can I can you Kenny?"

The boy looked less afraid as he warily lifts his head to take the bound man in, brushing some of his hair out of the way. "Ev'ryone calls me Kenny, Officer Wuornos"

Nathan was surprised the boy knew him. He doubted the boy's father, Keith Hamilton, would have mentioned him to the boy. Even if he had, he doubted Keith would have had anything good to say about him to his son. "You know me?"

The boy nodded slowly, brown eyes fearful, as he sat up on his knees. Nathan could see now he was wearing green pants what might have been a green flannel shirt and brown t-shirt, all dirty and stained. "I 'member you from the safety class last year."

"Okay, good." Nathan said with a reassuring smile. "Listen, I'm going to get us out of here and you're going to see your parents again. But I need your help here, alright?"

Kenny nodded uncertainly, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his shirt as he sniffled once. Despite the movement Nathan still couldn't tell if the boy was unshackled like the blond haired boy.

"Can you tell me how many other kids are here?" Nathan asked.

"Clive and Jenny, but I haven't seen them in a while" Kenny's eyes start to well up and his bottom lip quivered at his own words. He cast a terrified glance towards the ceiling above them as a soft thump was heard.

"What's going on?" Nathan whispered.

"Sh. They'll hear you," Mike whispered back, hazel eyes fixed on the stairs. Nathan could only guess his time for answers was rapidly coming to an end.

"Are you hurt?" Nathan asked Kenny.

"I want to go home. Please, I want to go home!" Kenny said with tears in his eyes.

"Sh, sh." Nathan hushed him. "And I'll take you home, I promise. But you have to tell me first if you're hurt?"

"No," the boy said plaintively.

"Okay, don't worry. We'll get out of this I promise."

"They're coming," Mike warned them in a fierce whisper.

A moment later a loud creaking was heard and then heavy steps as three people came down the stairs, an older man, and two others about Nathan's age- a man and a woman, Solomon Mitchum and Tricia Hagerson. Nathan found himself stunned into silence at who stood before him. The man smiled broadly at Kenneth Hamilton who once more curled up into a ball as the woman quickly lit another two lanterns to better light the space.

The older man smiled broadly as he turned, eyes seeming to light up with delight at seeing Nathan was conscious. "Oh good, you're awake. I apologize for the chains, son, but they're necessary for now."

"Absalom Mitchum?" Nathan asked in disbelief.

Abe simply nodded and slowly walked over to Nathan with a slight hitch in his step, seemingly unconcerned in the least at having a cop and two children hostage in an old moldy basement. He smiled broadly at the cop as he spread his hands in a welcoming gesture. "Hello, Nathan. It's so good to see you today. I had hoped you would come by sooner."

Nathan frowned at Abe, noting over the older man's shoulder that Saul was watching Nathan and his father with ill disguised unease as he pointedly ignoring Tricia Hagerson sliding up beside him. "What's going on here? What's Tricia Hagerson doing here?"

"Why wouldn't my dutiful daughter be here? I called and she came." Abe proudly smile as he beckoned the younger woman over. She easily slipped into the older man's fatherly embrace, beaming happily at him before gracing Nathan with a charming smile. Abe too returned his look to Nathan by all appearances the picture of an elderly patriarch. "And now that you are here, our family is back together again."

Nathan furrowed his brow in confusion, a sense of dread settling into his stomach. Abe couldn't be involved in…what? Kidnapping? Murder? It didn't make any sense to Nathan. He knew the man had lost a child to the killer the last time the Troubles had been to Haven.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked. He glanced over to Kenny and Mike before he pulled on his own restraint to emphasize his question. "Abe, why are you doing this?"

"To protect our family, of course," the old man replied easily. He released Tricia who stepped a few feet away and watched Abe with a devoted expression. "Why does any man do what he does? For family, Nathan."

"But," Nathan swallowed hard, barely able to bring himself to accept what Abe Mitchum was implying. "You're killing kids."

He was surprised when Abe simply nodded his head with a small regretful look on his face. "It's tradition, a necessary sacrifice, Nathan, for the betterment of our family and our kind."

"But your own daughter, Victoria, she was killed last time. How could you…." Nathan stopped at the pained looked that came across the older man's lined face. Guilt. Regret. "Oh my god." Nathan whispered as he realized what had happened to Victoria Mitchum.

"I see you comprehend now. Victoria was a necessary sacrifice, albeit the only one I've ever regretted given my son's lack of skill with his gift." Abe cast a disdainful look towards Saul, who visibly flinched at his father's words. "She wanted the killing to stop, wanted to bring in outsiders to help us."

Saul bristled at his father's look and stepped forward. "She was a traitor!" He declared angrily.

"Hush. She was a caring soul. The fault was mine for not educating her properly in our gift and why we must make the sacrifice. Perhaps if I had shared my plans to her as I had you, she would have understood. It is a fault I shall not repeat with Nathan here." Though Abe's words were said softly and with great compassion, Nathan could hear the deadly steel underneath that caused Saul to instantly snap his mouth shut on any retort he had planned to say. Nathan too felt inclined to remain silent, but he couldn't

"I won't let you get away with this." He knew his words sounded pathetic, perhaps even a bit of wishful thinking on his part, given his current state but Nathan was serious. He meant every word. "I'll stop you."

Abe smiled at that, not mockingly, just accepting of the young man's words. He gestured to Saul and Tricia and himself. "You're already a part of this, son. You've just forgotten, that's all." He looked apologetic as he continued. "But your ignorance was necessary to ensure my plans came to fruition without interference from Garland Wuornos or those nosy Teagues brothers."

Nathan noticed Saul shift a little, looking decidedly upset. He crossed his arms over chest, his dark navy pullover and slacks making him almost a shadowy stain against the dull concrete walls behind him despite the bright illumination from the three lanterns. "He isn't going to help us, he isn't one of us. We should just kill him and be done with it!"

"Shut up, Saul. If you hadn't proven to be so weak and useless in the first place I would have never needed to search for new children, new bloodlines to add to our clan." Abe spat back, giving his son a look of complete disgust. Saul tried to hold a hateful gaze on his father but quickly wavered and looked down, shamefaced. Abe snorted in contempt before turning back to Nathan his face smoothing out into a look of pride.

"Now you, Nathan, you are not weak," Abe said. "You are going to help us achieve greatness."

"I'll never help you," Nathan told him flatly, meeting and holding his gaze.

Abe seemed pleased by his defiance, smiling knowingly. He stepped closer and stroked Nathan's cheek. When Nathan did not even flinch, he nodded his head and leaned forward whispering in Nathan's ear.

"I think you will, once you know the reasons for the sacrifice. More importantly, I want you to help me end them once and for all."

Nathan tried to pull away at the Selectman's words, confused as to what he meant.

"Listen."

Abe blew a soft whistling tune. Nathan squeezed his eyes at the jolt of a memory.

"_I won't help you," he spit back. All he felt is black rage coursing through him, a desire to not just kill this man, but to make him suffer._

"_You already have, my boy." The man lovingly stroked his cheek. "But it's time for you to sleep now. When you awake everything will be fine. You'll see."_

Nathan snapped his eyes open, gasping as he felt fear race through his veins. Underneath the fear something moved, a stirring darkness within him. He found Abe peering into his eyes. He knew those eyes—those cold, dark, empty eyes. He could hear the music once again as Abe nodded at him as if answering a question he didn't even realize he had asked.

"I—I won't help you," Nathan whispered, feeling his certainty of those words slipping away.

"You already have, Nathan. And you will again," Abe said confidently. "Together we will gain control over Haven and ensure our family's future. We will erase the Mitchum's blood curse upon Haven, end the sacrifices, and finally release the Five Sisters from Wytchebough so their spirits may finally rest."

Nathan shook his head in denial, even as he felt rage starting to build within him. Rage at Abe and his delusional justifications, rage at the adults who had let this man get a hold of him as a child, rage at the other children for not fighting back. But mostly rage at him self for what he had done. "You're insane," Nathan snarled.

"Insane? For protecting ourselves and the other Troubled?" Abe asked casually. "For sacrificing their inferior children in exchange for a chance to end the killing?" Abe grabbed Nathan's chin holding the bound man's head still as he spoke. "You were so skilled, so quick to learn and excel. It was why I chose you."

Nathan grunted as the unfamiliar sensation of pain sliced through his head, eyes watering at the sensation.

_Blood. Skin. Lines of red on flesh. A glint of blade. Screams. Whistling._

_Purple bruises. Glistening steel. A buzz of the saw. Crimson patinas on whitewashed walls. Pleas for mercy. And still the music went on._

_Grotesque sculptures of flesh, tissue, blood, and bone. The scent of fear, terror, and bloodlust. A canvas for the blackened soul. _

_He screamed._

Nathan screamed as the imagery came back to him—terrible memories of what he'd seen, what had been done under the Whistler's influence. Nathan fought back the sudden need to throw up in revulsion and the growing murderous frenzy once more.

"Ah you see, Saul. He is remembering." Abe sounded so pleased; Nathan couldn't help lunging at the older man in anger. He grunted as the chains rattled and he was brought up short by his bonds. It took him a moment to regain his balance on his tip toes, but it also allowed him to calm himself.

Understanding started to dawn at how the older man reasoned his crimes away.

"You take the special ones, the Troubled, and kill them," Nathan said.

Abe nodded. "Only certain ones, Nathan. Those too weak to be missed, but enough to sustain our family and fulfill the needs of the ritual." The old man frowned slightly as he continued, "That was the old way, the way of caution my ancestors followed to carry on William's legacy and Haven's penance. My way will be better. Once we control Haven, there will be no more need for penance and sacrifices."

"Why Me? Why Tricia?"

Abe seemed truly surprised at Nathan question.

"That's simple. It's because you both have a hunger fueling you—a desire for righteousness and justice. All those years of disparagement and abuse, slights and mocking, and yet you never retaliated against your tormentors. No one ever saw the need for justice and fairness in either of you, but I did." He explained. He gestured to Tricia who stood up taller under the eyes of the older man even as she looked down demurely.

"Tricia was like you Nathan. Abused and hurt in the most unspeakable ways, but no one knew, she kept it hidden away and tried to be like everyone else. So smart and aware of what was really happening in Haven, not the lies told her by adults in their cruel and willful ignorance. No one knew of her magnificent gift."

Abe leaned in conspiratorially towards Nathan. "A fine gift it is. The ability to tear asunder an object with a mere thought. A prick of the skin or snapping of bone, it is pure magnificence. When I had her here with me, it came forth." He closed his eyes, looking ecstatic at whatever memory he had with his time with Tricia. His eyes were alight with dark glee when he opened them again. "All of it. Such beautiful, righteous anger given form."

"And then you sent her home to kill her family," Nathan said point-blank.

"Yes, well, how was I supposed to know someone would be nearby and call the police before she could clean up?" Abe actually looked apologetically at Tricia, who quickly rushed in and gave the older man a hug.

"You're not under his control, are you, Tricia? You never were," Nathan asked.

Tricia scowled at that, but didn't let go of Abe. "Of course not, Nathan! My parents were monsters. They deserve what I did to them." She gazed adoringly at Abe as she continued. "But I had to protect Father so I made everyone think I was crazy. Lock me away until Father called for me."

Abe stroked her hair lovingly. "You see? Such strength and intelligence. She'll make a fine wife and mother for your children won't she, Saul?"

The younger man didn't look pleased by his father's words, but he remained stoic in his answer. "Yes, father."

"And me? Why didn't…." Nathan trailed off his question, now not so certain he wanted to know what Abe had planned for him. Tricia had willingly joined Abe's psychotic beliefs but Nathan couldn't accept that Abe had any hold over him. He certainly felt no loyalty or impetus towards the man. If anything he only felt a deep hatred, a dark desire to tear the man apart and make him suffer.

"Why didn't I have you kill your family and then adopt you as I had planned for Tricia?" Abe asked his question for him. The older man actually spoke warmly of his reasons. "Because you're father was Garland Wuornos. I could tell even then he would be Haven's Chief of Police someday. But more importantly I knew he would raise you to be strong and disciplined; someone capable of doing what was needed to protect our family. Your mother was also a kind woman. From her you would gain compassion to temper your strength."

"Where Tricia is the blade you will be the mind that guides it. My heir, the son I always wanted."

Abe paused for a moment, pulling out a picture from his pocket and showing it to Nathan. In the photo was a young woman. "By the way, I think you'll like my youngest daughter, Honorea-Marie. Mary has been quite smitten with you since you danced with her at the police fund raiser."

Nathan frowned for a moment before remembering the fund raiser Abe spoke of, the last one the town had held to raise funds to repair and update both the police and fire stations. It had been six years ago and he'd danced with more than a half dozen girls whose faces he didn't remember. He knew more than one was sent his way by social climbing parents and local political figures hoping to tie themselves to the police chief's son. The girl in the picture was young, no older than thirty, with flowing ebony locks and dark eyes like her father. While not what Nathan would consider beautiful she did have striking features that were pretty. He didn't recognize her. Nathan just shook his head in disbelief as Abe placed the photo in his pocket again.

"I won't do this." Nathan declared.

Abe didn't seem particularly upset with the cop's pronouncement unlike Saul who was glowered. "Don't worry about Mary. You'll come to see she is a fine woman. Think about this, though. I could arrange for you to become Chief when the time comes. You could protect the Troubled and help them the way they should be, without having to hide from people like Reverend Driscoll and his ilk. Together we could make Haven a better place."

"If you want to make Haven a better place, stop killing the children," Nathan countered.

Abe merely dismissed his words with a wave of the hand. "If my plan works, Nathan, that is _exactly_ what will happen."

"Father, he's here," Saul announced. Nathan strained to listen, knowing his hearing was sharper than most but heard nothing.

Abe nodded in acknowledgement but didn't seem concerned in the least. "I know. I sensed him some time ago."

Abe directed his next comments to Saul and Tricia. "Stay here with them while I deal with our troublesome friend. Then we'll finish this."

Saul grudgingly accepted his father's order while Tricia assured him she would do as he said as she gave him a quick hug. Abe quickly tramped up the stairs.

Saul openly glared at Nathan. "You're not worthy."

"Hush, Saul. You heard Father," Tricia admonished her future husband.

"He's not your father either," Saul snapped furiously. Tricia didn't seem to care in the least that Saul obviously hated her.

"We're all family, Saul. Father will show you." She gave Saul a promising smile.

Saul seemed to growl at that and stomped up the stairs. A moment later the door to the cellar prison closed with a loud thump and Saul could be heard to stomp out of the cabin angrily. Tricia just gave Nathan a shrug and smiled at him as she went over and stroked Kenny's head, causing the boy to whimper in fear.

TBC


	18. Chapter 17

**The Whistler - Chapter 17**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Tybalt stopped, gasping to catch his breath and cursing himself. He never felt his sixty six years before but his vigorous hike through the thick and treacherous woods has drained him and left him feeling weak. But he has to push on, the music growing louder when he listened. He knew exactly where he is going and he knew exactly what he was going to do when he got there. He had to save them before the darkness has a chance to consume them. He had to save them or the town would be lost to an evil hiding behind a familiar face and a trustworthy nature spreading destruction in their midst

He had to save _him_ before it was too late.

He saw a flutter of white cloth through the brush to his left, glancing over to find nothing there. He didn't see them—he never has been able to see them—but he knows they are there: watching, waiting, guiding him and others when there was a need. It was their song he heard in his ears, their voices that guided him in his gift and told him what he had to do. They are an echo in his mind, a weak counterpoint to the clarion call that drawn him onward.

He pats his coat pocket, feeling the heft of the pistol there, and was reassured. Blowing out his breath he started forward again.

"Can I help you?"

Tybalt stumbled to a halt, surprised he hadn't felt his presence. He always felt the presence of the special ones, especially in Haven. More so than he has any where he has lived his entire life, he felt Haven's Troubled, all of them except one.

Hand reaching for the pistol in his coat pocket, he froze at the sound of a soft click he recognized as the sound of a gun being cocked.

Slowly he turned to find man wearing a red checked flannel shirt and jeans step towards him, gray hair smoothed back and a semiautomatic pistol held firm and true on Tybalt's form. He knew this man and narrowed his eyes, focusing on his gift to stave off the stab of fear in his chest at the darkness gliding through the other man's eyes.

"I know it was you, Absalom Mitchum. I know it was you who killed those children. I won't let you have Nathan too." Tybalt said, determinedly. He could hear the music all around him, deafening.

Abe looked at Tybalt with genuine curiosity. "Who are you? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"My name is Tybalt Haskil. You wouldn't know me but I know you, Whistler." Haskil said.

"Ah, then you've met Tricia. Such a wonderfully gifted girl." Abe smiled at that and whistled a few bars of the all too familiar tune that had haunted Tybalt for decades. "Oh, but I do know you. You're that fellow with a certain unsavory interest in children, the Corrupter." Abe looked disdainfully at the other man.

Tybalt winced at the name even as the voices assured him that while an accurate moniker for what he was capable of, his gift was not as the Whistler implied.

"I've never harmed any child!" Tybalt shouted.

Abe eyed Tybalt speculatively. "How were you able to do it, Corrupter? How were you able to find those special children you love so much? I could use one such as you."

"I'm not like you. I was only trying to protect them," Tybalt spat.

"Perhaps, but that's not what everyone else thinks is it?" Abe countered smoothly.

"I don't care what everyone else thinks. I failed to stop you in eighty-four, I won't fail again." Tybalt said determinedly.

Abe grinned at that and shook his head. "Poor fool," he said. He started whistling.

Abe stopped in surprise when Tybalt whistled back loudly, a song counterpoint to his own. Listening a moment more, Abe winced and wiped his nose. His hand came away with blood.

"You won't stop me, Corrupter," Abe snarled in fury. "Nathan is mine!"

"_He doesn't belong to you. He is a son of Haven."_

"He is mine!" Abe screamed at the voices. "I won't let the Corrupter have him."

"_He will end the curse. In the end, he will only hear her. If he does not, sorrow will befall all who cross his path."_

Wiping at is nose again, Abe sneered. "Then I've already won."

Tybalt continued whistling but Abe could hear his thoughts clearly in the harmony that clashed with his own song. _"I won't fail."_

"You already have, my dear old fool."

A sharp crack cut through the air. Then another. And another. The music suddenly ended for Tybalt and he found himself staring up into a canopy of leaves and a cloudy, darkening sky. Gasping for breath, he tried to turn over to his side, groaning in pain.

He could feel the Whistler now, no longer hiding himself, as he tromped off through the woods with false confidence in his victory. The whispered song around him droned on, easing away his fear of failure. They told him through the song what was to come. Tybalt could feel it at the edge of his consciousness—it was coming—_she_ was coming.

He just needed to hold on long enough for her to find him.

TBC


	19. Chapter 18

A/N: Extra warning for violence and possibly disturbing imagery for this chapter.

**The Whistler - Chapter 18**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Audrey turned from her brief perusal of the quaint looking cabin and nearby barn-like structure to find Selectman Mitchum coming around the side of the bungalow and walk up onto the porch two steps at a time. He wore a red checked flannel shirt rolled up at the arms, well worn blue jeans, and heavy boots. She wasn't sure why, but she thought it odd to see the sixty plus year old man dressed this way after her previous encounters with him. Then again, the Selectman certainly looked far younger than his years and all she had ever seen him in were dress shirts and slacks to base her opinion on.

"Excuse me, Mr. Mitchum?" Audrey called out. She ignored the sound Duke made, assuming it was the smuggler subtly voicing his disagreement with her direct approach. She knew Duke preferred a more stealthy method.

The older man looked curious as he approached the pair. "Yes."

Audrey flashed her badge. "Officer Parker, Haven PD. We met the other day."

"Oh yes, yes, yes. I remember. Please call me Abe." The older man smiled, nodding in recognition. A frown came to his face. "Terrible news about those children. And to think it's so near here. Have you made any progress?"

"Some," Audrey dodged the question, glancing at the cabin and what she presumed was the workshop the Teagues had mentioned. "Have you seen Detective Wuornos around here or one Tybalt Haskil?"

Abe seemed genuinely surprised at her question. "Nathan? Uh, no. Why would he be here?"

"Someone thought they saw him headed in this direction," Audrey explained aware of how Abe looked at Duke with undue curiosity. She could see a hint of disdain in Abe's eyes at the presence of the smuggler. Duke returned the older man's gaze with a neutral expression as he causally reset the ratty looking blue ball cap he'd insisted on getting from his truck before she drove them out here.

"Oh, well, I'll be sure to keep an eye out for him then," Abe replied.

"And Haskil?" Audrey prompted.

Abe thought about it for a moment, running a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I don't recall anyone by the name of Haskil."

The Selectman's gesture strangely drew Audrey's attention a carved wood sign above the cabin's front door. It was rough hewn, stained, and the lettering virtually indecipherable from her vantage point. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look.

"Something wrong, Officer?" Abe asked.

"What's that say?" She gestured to the sign.

The Selectman didn't even so much as glance behind him to see what the detective was pointing at. A strange little smile came to his face, no warmth reaching his dark eyes. "Wytchebough. It's an old place name for this patch of land."

"Does it mean anything specific?" Audrey asked curiously.

"To my family—yes, but I don't see that it's any of your business," Abe replied his smile becoming as cool as his eyes as his expression became closed off and aloof.

"Doing some work out here?" Duke interrupted suddenly gesturing to the workshop. Audrey, puzzled by the older man's reaction to her question, gave Duke an annoyed look that he either ignored or didn't see. Given his sudden interest in being charming with the Selectman, Audrey suspected it was the former rather than the latter. The question, though, did bring back some warmth to the man's face as he glanced at the old structure with its faded green paint and white trim.

"Yeah, I know I should just hire someone to take care of this old place, but I like to work with my hands," Abe replied with a satisfied look, vigorously rubbing his palms together. "Keeps me young."

"Guess that explains the large workshop," Duke commented.

"Serves as a garage sometimes too," Abe agreed.

Audrey didn't see what Duke thought he was getting out of the conversation and decided to end it. "Do you mind if we have a look around your property?"

"Go ahead, Officer Parker. Garland told me about Nathan's request. I already gave my approval. Turns to state land about a mile that way and two miles that way." Abe gestured into the directions he mentioned—north and west.

Audrey found herself curious at that, remembering that while there were other private cabins in the area, all were on small parcels of land—one or two acres—compared to the huge expanse the Mitchum's apparently owned. "That's a pretty good size plot of land."

The older man shrugged at her comment. "Been in the family for generations. Used to have more before the government seized some of it. Least they didn't chop it down, though, right?"

"Yeah, sure." Audrey said. Giving Abe a polite nod she turned away. "Thank you for your time, sir."

"No problem, Officer," Abe called out behind her. "If you need me I'll be in the shop."

She glanced over to see Duke shooting looks over his shoulder. He looked puzzled and slightly suspicious.

"What's wrong, Duke?"

"I think that crazy old man maybe right. Something's off with that guy. Can't you take him in for questioning or something?" Duke said, sounding unusually concerned. "He's odd."

"For being odd? That describes half of Haven." Audrey snorted and shook her head. "Besides, weren't you the one just suddenly so chatty with him."

"It's called being civil, as in having a civil conversation," Duke retorted.

"And now you're suddenly suspicious of him again?" Audrey asked.

Duke stopped and frowned at her, obviously considering her words. With a confused look he glanced back at the cabin. "Yeah. I mean…well it couldn't hurt to talk to him, right?"

Audrey rolled her eyes. "You were talking about his barn."

"Work shop," Duke corrected her.

"Whatever." She shook her head in bemusement. "Look, just tell me what's bothering you about him now."

Duke sighed. He pulled her to a stop and nodded back towards the cabin. "I'm good at reading people. Have to be in my line of work. Something is not right about this guy. He's hiding something. Trust me on this."

"I know he's hiding something. I wish I could just search Mitchum's cabin and workshop, Duke," Audrey replied. "I wish it was that easy. No, we'll wait for the Chief to come through with the warrant."

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

"It's going to be so wonderful, Nathan. You'll see," Tricia said sweetly, with a dreamy look on her face.

"Abe and Saul are killing innocent people, Tricia. You killed your family for them," Nathan pointed out.

The woman's face contorted with anger and hate. "They deserved it. No one else cared what they did to me. No one!"

Nathan was shocked when she slipped off the sleeves of the sundress, lowering it to uncover her chest and torso. Nathan couldn't help the gasp of surprise at what he saw. The woman's stomach was covered in scars of all sizes and shapes, some disappearing under her bra. The scars were silvery with age but no doubt had been inflicted with great precision so as to be hidden from view.

"This is what my parents did to me!" Tricia snarled. "And that was just the outside."

Nathan felt his insides twist in revulsion at what Tricia was implying. Her own parents…. He shook his head, empathizing with the woman's suffering. "And I'm sorry about that, but what about your baby brother?"

"I saved him, saved him from them," Tricia insisted. "They were already starting to hurt him and he wasn't even three years old!"

Tricia's eyes suddenly became sharp, calculating. She ran her tongue seductively over her lips, as she slid her body in close to Nathan. She trailed a finger along his one side of his jaw as she brushed her cheek on the other side until her face nearly buried in his neck. "Do you want to know what they did to me? I could tell you every…little…detail," she whispered.

"God no!" Nathan tried to jerk away from her as best he could.

Tricia smiled sadly, all traces of being a seductress gone. She chastely kissed Nathan's cheek. "See, you understand. You're not like them. You understand that they were evil and needed to be destroyed."

"I didn't know," Nathan whispered.

The woman brushed her hands over his chest, smoothing out the wrinkles of his shirt, seemingly oblivious to her own partial nudity. "You couldn't have done anything. No one would have listened to you anyway. Just like me 'cause they thought we were cursed." Tricia glided away from him, smiling contentedly, as she shifted the dress back into place, briefly revealing more scars that crisscrossed her back before she was clothed properly again. "Abe's going to change that now. When he's done, we'll be the ones in charge."

"And we can protect the Troubled," Nathan said gently.

His emotions were in turmoil as he better understood how Abe had been able to twist Tricia. She had been tortured and broken long before the Whistler got to her. And that knowledge fed into the darkness and anger roiling within him. But he wouldn't let it control him, not like it had Tricia.

"Yes! You do understand. You're just used to seeing the world through their eyes, that you're worthless, a thing to be used or locked away or ridiculed," Tricia said. "You're not Nathan. You're…"

"Special. We are special," he told her softly. For a moment he remembered Jess' words, still grateful of the different perspective she had given him despite the pain of her abrupt departure from Haven and his wounded heart. Her revelation had been simple, but profound: It didn't matter what others thought of him, it only mattered what he thought of himself. It didn't change how others treated him, but it did change how he reacted to that treatment. "Maybe we're even a bit magical."

"Yes." Tricia nodded enthusiastically. "I knew you understood. You just needed to remember."

Nathan tried as best he could to stand up straighter given how he was bound and attempted to look more confident. "Yeah, yeah, I get it now. I want to help people like us, help the Troubled. Let me start by helping Abe."

Tricia narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him for any sign of falsehood. He wasn't lying to her. He really did want to help her, to help Abe, and to help the Troubled in Haven. Just not in the manner she thought.

"How?" she finally asked.

"Release me and I'll take care of our young friend here," he replied nodding to Kenny. "Better yet, we can do it together. Show Abe…Father we are committed to him."

"I don't know," Tricia sounded hesitant. "Father seems to think he is special. That we'll need him if he passes the tests."

"He's weak, pathetic," Nathan sneered. "Look at him. Did you cower when Father came for you?"

Tricia wrinkled her nose in distaste, looking positively disgusted at the very idea. "No."

"Me neither." Nathan nodded to the cowering Kenny. "Let's rid ourselves of him."

Tricia seemed delighted with the idea. "Alright."

Nathan had expected Tricia to come over and unlock him. He did not expect to see her smile and then hear metal cracking before he landed on his knees. He stared at his free hands in surprise before looking up to see the metal bindings had been cleanly slice away.

_Clear. Perfect. Precise._

Tricia had done exactly what Abe had said she was capable of. She had cut his bonds with a thought.

He rose to his feet to find Tricia smiling at him knowingly. Nodding back he gave a grim look before he turned to Kenneth Hamilton. The boy watched them with fear in his eyes. Nathan took a step towards the boy.

"Please, Officer Wuornos…," Kenny whined.

"Shut up, brat," Tricia snapped, her lunge at the boy made him cry out and bury his head in his arms. Satisfied by his reaction, Tricia turned back to Nathan with a malevolent look in her eyes. "How're you going to kill him, Nate?"

Nathan looked around the small room, noting there were no real weapons available to him. Shrugging her held out his hands, wiggling his fingers experimentally. "I have my hands…"

"Let me cut him first!" The woman demanded, sounding nearly childlike in her dark glee. Nathan smiled and gestured for to proceed. She turned to face the boy, Kenny screaming when she touched his head.

_Clear intent. Perfect form. Precise control._

_Unforgiving action._

Nathan grasped the woman around the neck and slammed her head into the concrete wall as hard as he could, three sharp forceful strikes, each hit accompanied by a loud sickening crunching noise. Tricia slid to the floor, blood streaking the wall as she slumped down to a limp pile. Nathan stared at her for a moment, unable to tell if she was still alive or not, a nauseous feeling rising in him even as part of him felt triumphant at stopping the deranged woman.

A whimper brought Nathan's attention back to Kenny. He crouched down next to the boy. Seeing he was only bound at the ankles with thick rope, he quickly untied him. Mike slowly came out of the shadowy corner he had retreated to as Nathan calmed Kenny down.

"Sorry I had to do that, Kenny," Nathan told him "Didn't mean to scare you. You okay?"

Kenny looked warily at Tricia's form, a slow frown coming to his features at the bloody mess of the woman's face. Nathan grabbed his chin and made him look away. Kenny glanced once more at the woman with a peculiar expression on his face before looking Nathan in the eye, appearing suddenly resolute and determined. "Y-yeah. Can we go home now?"

Nathan patted him on the shoulder, casting a look at Mike, who nodded with an uncertain smile. "That's that plan."

Nathan finished untying the boy's feet from the lose rope binding and helping him stand. They both flinched as the trap door to their prison opened with a loud thump, followed by heavy footfalls coming down the steps. Nathan turned in time to find Saul staring in disbelief at Tricia's bloody and crumpled form. The other man's eyes quickly narrowed as he shot Nathan a hate filled look.

"I told Father you couldn't be trusted!" Saul snarled, brandishing the hand axe he had carried down with him.

Nathan quickly moved between Saul and the boys as the other man growled in fury and swung at Nathan in a wide arc. Nathan easily caught the man's arm but found Saul's superior strength too great in trying to pry the axe away from him. Saul spun the cop into the wall with all his might and pinned his there with his body. Nathan tasted blood, but was otherwise unaffected as he tossed his head backwards.

He knew he must have connected with Saul's head as the other man's grasp around Nathan loosened. Using the opportunity, Nathan slipped free and swept Saul legs out from under him. The other man grunted heavily as he hit the ground. Nathan was on him momentarily but Saul used his greater strength to throw Nathan off.

Nathan staggered to his feet, noticing the gash on his left forearm. He quickly returned his eyes to Saul who was grinning triumphantly as he waggled the axe, its blade edge slick with Nathan's blood.

"So much for Father's new heir," Saul sneered.

Nathan wanted to try and reason with Saul but never got the chance as the larger man was suddenly on him, flailing away with the axe. A particularly close flurry gave Nathan the opening he needed to get a hold of the axe. He got a partial hold of the hand axe, but somehow the two struggling men's legs became tangled and they fell. Nathan grunted heavily as Saul's weight knocked the air out him, leaving him breathless and desperate to get the larger man off of him.

It took Nathan a moment to realize Saul was no longer fighting. It took two tries before Nathan was finally able to roll the heavier man off of him. Saul's eyes were wide in shock, his mouth moving wordlessly as he gasped and coughed up flecks of blood onto his lips. Nathan's eyes slid down to where Saul's hand weakly pulling at the axe now buried into his chest. In seconds his movements stopped. Solomon Mitchell was dead.

Nathan stared in shock, stunned at the sudden turn of events.

"Officer Wuornos, are you okay?"

Kenny's small, scared voice brought Nathan out of his haze. He found the boy gaping at him in horror. Glancing down at himself he could see why. Most of his shirt was covered in blood as was his arms and hands. Getting to his knees, he wiped his hands as best he could on his ruined shirt.

"I'm okay, Kenny," he assured the boy, giving what he hoped was a confident smile. Given the watery one he received in return he guessed it worked. He stared at Saul's body for a moment, before he leaned over and grasped the handle of the axe.

"Look away," he told the boys, glad the pair dutifully did as they were told.

Nathan quickly dislodged the axe from Saul's chest ignoring the wet sucking sound and the scraping feeling as the blade grated bone. He quickly headed to the stairs, peering up carefully and listening closely to determine if anyone else was in the cabin. After a minute he was satisfied and he gestured to the boys who were now watching him expectantly.

"Come on, you two."

Nathan quickly led them up the stairs and in to the modest looking cabin. He had a vague sense of deja vu at seeing the simple décor and furnishings but pushed the feeling aside as he opened the single heavy door to the cabin and stepped cautiously out onto the wide boards of the porch. He paused to carefully taking in the workshop and the nearby woods in the afternoon gloom. He could smell rain in the clouds overhead.

To the right he could see a newer model four-by-four truck but he was more surprised to see Audrey's now familiar silver car. Gesturing the boys to stay behind him he started across the clearing to the vehicles when he heard a gun shot. Something spun him to ground as Ken shrieked.

He scrambled to his feet and stumbled back towards the cabin, unsurprised to see a splash of blood running down his arm from his left shoulder. At the moment he didn't care about his wounded shoulder, more concerned about the boys and his partner. He didn't know where Audrey was or if she was safe. And he certainly couldn't stay here with the boys.

That left only one place. He knew where they had to go, where they could end this.

"Run! Go, go go." He shouted at the boys, waving them to the forest behind the cabin. The pair were off and Nathan was quickly scrambling to catch up to the kids, two more gunshots cracking the air. A bullet sending out a spray of splinters from the cabin's frame as Nathan hopped down from the porch and ran past the small tree that splintered next to him as he dodged behind it at and ran down the small wash. Ahead he could see the boys running, Kenny looking back once looking relieved as he saw Nathan following them.

Another shot was heard, and Nathan hurried his pace to catch up to the boys and lead them deeper into the woods.

He would lead them to Wytchebough.

TBC


	20. Chapter 19

A/N: Thank you all for your continued reviews, comments, suggestions, and support. Haven fans are just awesome like that. :-) We are getting close to the end of the story now with only about five chapter left to go.

**The Whistler - Chapter 19**

_By Karolyn Gray_

"_You need to stop this."_

_He spun around, startled at the presence of the woman who had snuck up on him. She was young, with inquisitive blue eyes and long brown hair, and wore a simple turtleneck sweater and slacks. When he looked into her eyes, he shivered at what he saw under the worry and sadness. She was ancient. His gift told him that._

_Despite knowing she was special, powerful, he tried to cover his surprise at her discovering him watching the children on the playground. He shifted the broom in his grip, drawing her attention to it for a brief moment._

"_I'm just sweeping the walk," he told her, languidly gesturing to the damp sidewalk with its assorted puddles and debris from the previous night's storm._

"_Garland knows you're watching him. He won't stand for it," the woman replied._

_He must have shown surprise at her statement as she titled her head to look at the brown haired gangly boy watching from the sidelines as the other kids played basketball. His eyes briefly flicked over to the boy in time to see a blond haired boy, another special one, approach and shove the object of his attention. A brief shoving match ensued, ending with the blond boy on the ground and another boy with black hair laughing at the thwarted bully._

"_I won't hurt him," he said to her._

"_I know."_

"_You believe me?" He was genuinely surprised at her words. Those that knew of his record in Boston were already conspiring to have him driven from town. He wouldn't let them until his job here was complete. He only needed to find the monster he was searching for._

"_I know you were the one who called about the Hagerson murders." He could tell by the look she gave him she was being truthful. She believed him, when no others did. "I also know every kidnapped child in Haven was one you were following."_

"_I was trying to protect them!" he hissed angrily._

"_I know," she replied calmly, "But you also look like a suspect. Someone is using you."_

_He widened his eyes in shock. "You mean the kidnapper is using me to…to find his victims?"_

"_That's the way it looks to me." She sighed, shoving her hands into her pockets. "You should leave Haven before another is taken. Or you end up dead."_

"_I can't. I have to protect them."_

_Her eyes once more flicked to the brown haired boy, now apparently welcomed into the game by the other kids, in time to see him make a surprisingly smooth pass that allowed the black haired boy to make a basket. She smiled slightly at that even as she spoke. "If anything happens to him, Garland won't be so understanding. You know that." _

"_I won't let anything happen to him. Or the others," he replied determinedly._

"_How many more?" She asked. "How many do you…see?"_

_He didn't contradict her interpretation of how he knew who one of his special children was, who was in danger. He didn't see them, per se, as she thought. It was more a sense of…feeling them. It was enough though that she seemed to accept and understand his affinity for them was not nefarious or perverted in nature._

"_Here? Two for certain," he admitted. "There might be more but they…their gifts are dormant. They're not in danger."_

"_If you don't stop, if you get too close to the killer, he'll kill you."_

_He inhaled deeply at her words, considering them for a moment. For him there was no other answer to her warning. He shook his head. "If I stop, he will kill more of _them_. I can't allow that."_

_Her eyes seemed to fill with sorrow at his words. He noted for the first time her slouched form, as if she bore the weight of the world on her shoulders alone. Given what he could feel of her, her light in the surrounding darkness, he suspected she carried if not the weight of the world, then the heavy, ancient burden that is Haven. _

"_Good luck to you," she finally said. "I hope you have better luck than I did."_

_She turned to go as he puzzled over the harsh finality of her words. He knew her time here was almost done._

"_Wait, miss, I don't even know you're name."_

_She paused, considering his request for a long moment. He could clearly see she was lost, hesitant and unsure for a moment before she set her jaw in stubborn determination. He could feel her power flare with whatever renewed certitude she had discovered within herself. It left him breathless as she answered._

"_My name is Lucy Ripley."_

*~~Haven~~Haven~~Haven~~*

"Do you hear that?"

Duke froze at Audrey's question, the first words either of them had spoken in twenty minutes. He listened to the forest around them, hearing nothing out of place. Bird song, the rustle of the branches and leaves in the wind, and a pair squirrels chattering noisily somewhere nearby. After listening for another moment he turned back to her. "What?"

"Sh." Audrey waved her hand at him indicating for him to be silent. He gave the detective an annoyed look that she chose to ignore but did as she asked. Given his obvious edginess about searching the Mitchum land, Audrey considered his silence a victory. Audrey tilted her head to the side carefully listening. After a moment she heard it: a soft sound. A familiar tune.

"There," she whispered.

Duke listened carefully before he finally caught the broken strains the cop heard. "It sounds like…humming?"

Audrey wordlessly nodded, slipping her pistol from its holster. She held a finger to her lips to indicate the need for silence, to which Duke nodded. By the way he adjusted the battered blue ball cap he wore and flexed his fingers she could tell he wished he had brought one of his guns from the assortment of weaponry she was certain he had stashed on the Cape Rogue and at the Gull. Truth be told, she wished he had brought them along as well.

Following the tune, they soon came upon a man in a stained brown coat and gray pants slowly crawling on the forest floor with a thick track of blood that trailed off back into the dense woods. Audrey instantly recognized the silvery haired man. "Tybalt!"

She rushed over and helped the old man turn over. She paled at the three gun shot wound tightly clustered in the old man's chest, his once crisp blue dress shirt now stained with a combination of near black mud and the old man' blood from the chest wounds, rusty brown streaks staining his arms and pants. "He's been shot," she called over to Duke, who had hung back warily.

Tybalt's dulled expression sharpened as he focused on her face, grasping her with surprising strength even as he wheezed out his words. "Audrey…help…"

"Sh. Don't worry we'll get some help," Audrey assured him, trying with little success to get Tybalt to lay down so she could try to stop the flow of blood from his wounds with her hand. She glanced up as Duke knelt down beside them, pushing his now folded up flannel shirt into the wounds. "Can you tell me who shot you?"

"Nathan…," Tybalt groaned at the pain of Duke's actions, eyes closing and the man's already pale face went ashen.

"Nathan shot you?" Audrey asked in confusion, brow furrowed in complete puzzlement.

"…help…Nathan," Tybalt whispered.

"Nathan? You've seen Nathan?" Duke asked as he shared a concerned look with Audrey.

"Mitchum…Wytchebough…," Tybalt coughed. He desperately grabbed Audrey's arm with such strength she actually winced at the pressure she could feel even through the heavy fabric of her tan jacket. He looked desperately at Audrey, his face pleading with her. "Nathan…the key…he'll kill…everyone."

Tybalt's eyes started to wander aimlessly, the old man gasping as he started to convulse. "Mr. Haskil! Tybalt! Stay with me."

Audrey tried to hold the old man's shaking form down. She shrieked when Tybalt suddenly rose up, flinging Duke onto his back before the old man engulfed her in a tight, near bone-crushing clinch.

"He hears you, Lucy."

Audrey froze at that, Tybalt's limbs going slack as he fell backwards. Only Duke's quick recovery prevented the old man's limp form from collapsing back into ground.

Tybalt's breaths wheezed from him, a curious look coming to his face, eyes wide in wonder as he stared at the clouds through the forest canopy above them. "Do you…hear…?"

"Tybalt?" Audrey asked, earning a sad shake of the head from the smuggler after he checked the man's pulse.

Audrey sat back on her heels, Tybalt's words running through her head over and over confused at what it all could mean. All she knew for certain was Tybalt believed Nathan was nearby. If true, that meant the Mitchums were somehow all tied to what was happening with the missing children, their murders, and her partner's recent strange behavior. She felt her guts twist at the implication that the man who had become her best friend was somehow involved.

"So what do we do now?" Duke asked. Audrey was grateful for the interruption breaking her free of the sinister direction her thoughts took her.

"We…"

The staccato sounds of gunshots interrupted her. Both instinctually hunkered down even further in their kneeled positions.

"Nathan," they said together.

TBC


	21. Chapter 20

A/N: Sorry for the long delay in posting the final chapters of this story. You know what they say: troubles come in threes. I'll just leave it at that and get back to editing the final chapter to wrap this whole fic up soon.

I'm including an extra warning for this chapter for violence, disturbing imagery, murder, and vague references to torture and rape. Nothing overly graphic, but still may be disturbing to some readers.

**The Whistler - Chapter 20**

_By Karolyn Gray_

"That way, go...go!" Nathan urged the boys onward as they raced through the heavy woods. The canopy was so thick that the woods were in perpetual shadow making traversing the treacherous terrain difficult. He followed the boys, occasionally searching behind them to see if their attacker was still following. No more shots had been fired, but Nathan wasn't foolish enough to think their pursuer, most likely Absalom Mitchum, was not far behind them.

The boys had held up well so far but he could tell they were getting tired and slowing down. Nathan tried to remember the maps of the location and his own memories of the area but could think of no safe spot to stop and rest, even for just a moment.

Ahead of him he saw Kenny stumbled to his knees with a cry as he misjudged a jump over a root and tripped. The young boy slid on the muddy ground a full three feet before he stopped and pushed himself up. Mud and muck streaked his pants and hands. Mike stopped and turned to see what happened as Nathan reached Kenny and pulled the panting boy up off the ground. The cop waved at Mike to keep going as he settled the exhausted boy in his arms and ran.

They soon reached what appeared to be a small shallow furrow leading into what appeared to be a glen. Nathan wordless nodded to Mike to go on ahead of them. He paused as he realized the place looked familiar. Shaking his head, he blinked several times in surprise, certain he was hallucinating. Or dreaming again.

Wytchebough.

The glade was as large as he remembered, filled with grasses still as green as if it were spring time. At the center of the glade stood the six twisted trees he remembered as well—the five smaller pine trees arrayed around the larger old black spruce. And around the trees he could see the five sisters waiting, the old mother standing among them, watching—whistling their song.

At the sound of the tune, Nathan felt invigorated as his fear washed away. He knew this place, knew this song.

The boys would be safe here.

He didn't feel the palpable threat of Abe Mitchum's wrath as he had when they left the cabin behind. He could still hear the Whistler's song in his mind, but it was distant. Even muted against the sister's song he still could feel the old anger within trying to break free of the dark recesses in which he had locked it away.

Knowing he needed to make sure the boys were safe before he confronted Abe, Nathan followed Mike down the slope, cautious about making it down the slick, muddy ground with his charge. Halfway down, a shot was heard and Nathan found himself flung the rest of the way. Kenny cried out as Nathan flung him to the side so as to avoid crushing the small boy under his larger frame. They both landed heavily at the bottom, just short of the glen.

Nathan rolled onto his back and tried to tell the boys to run, but he found himself unable to breathe. The boys were instantly at his side, each pulling on his arms to get him sitting upright, Mike's cold touch shocking sense back into the cop's disorientation.

Kenny gasped in shock and quickly let go of Nathan's left arm. "You're hurt."

Nathan looked at his left arm and saw the blood blossoming from the two bullet holes—one in his shoulder and the other in his upper arm—little rivulets flowing down the front and side of his shirt. He grimaced at the injuries, knowing they were bad but not yet life threatening. The wounds didn't hurt, of course, but when he tried to move his damaged limb he could tell it didn't work right, lacking range of motion and strength.

The detective heard a soft rustling in the brush above them at the top of the small hill. He quickly pushed the boys into the open field of green and put a finger to his lips to indicate he wanted silence. Both boys instantly crouched down and Nathan used his right arm to push himself to his knees. He spotted the bloodied hand axe he dropped nearby and grabbed it tightly around the wooden handle as he rose to his feet, making sure he was crouched low.

He didn't understand how but he somehow knew where their attacker was. It wasn't just the sounds he could hear; he could inexplicably feel their assailant. Turning in the direction he sensed the danger, he carefully scanned the area, zeroing in on the spot he heard the rustling coming from. He pointed towards the waiting sisters, slowly waving his hand for the boys to start moving.

The sisters themselves were now walking towards them, gracefully gliding through the grass.

A soft whistle cut into the still afternoon air. The Whistler's call. Anger flared within him, almost painful with the shocking intensity of its reaction to the sound.

"Run!" Nathan whispered.

"He can't," Mike said quietly.

The Whistler's song became louder, starting to drown out the sister's melody.

Nathan ignored the tune. He felt himself wanting to listen even as he felt the blocks he had put on that old, dark anger being to crumble in response. The melodic whistling of the sisters combined with the darker tune in his mind, the one planted there so long ago brought forth a fury. Only the strange anger he felt combined with his concern for the boy's wellbeing made it possible for him to resist the call.

He turned to see Kenny now standing staring back over Nathan's shoulder with a blank expression, enraptured by the Whistler's tune. Mike looked back and forth between the boy and the man with a helpless expression. Nathan knew Mike wouldn't be able to help him and simply gestured for him to back away into the glen. They boy's hazel eyes hardened as he nodded his refusal to leave with a stubborn expression.

It almost made Nathan want to smile. Almost.

A twig snapped noisily behind him. Nathan turned slowly, already knowing who would be there. Abe stood there with a pistol in his hand and a cruel look on his face. His clothes where worse for wear from their race through the woods, his jeans and boots streaked with grime and his red checked flannel shirt torn in places.

"I am disappointed in you Nathan. Truly I am. To choose to allow an injustice to stand, to be a slave to the past rather than be free," the older man shook his head, with obvious regret.

"What you offer isn't justice or freedom," Nathan replied, shifting the hand axe in his grip. "You're a vicious murderer."

Abe stared at Nathan intently, scrutinizing the police officer with a look that made Nathan feel as if the older man could see every thought, every dream, he'd had ever had. He whistled three notes, which made Nathan flinch involuntarily at the pain that he felt in response. Seeing his reaction Abe shook his head with a disappointed and grim expression. "You've been corrupted. I can sense a different song with in you. No matter. I'll find others to end the cycle, even if I must wait another generation to complete the work."

Nathan nodded to himself. He had to stop Abe, one way or the other. Tightening his hold on the axe he stalked up the incline towards the other man. "This ends here."

Abe lined his pistol up with Nathan, who didn't so much as blink at the older man's threat as he continued forward. Abe's eyes widened in concern as the cop didn't stop. Realizing his threat meant nothing to the younger man he chose a new target and quickly aimed the pistol at Kenny. That made Nathan stop.

Nathan was more than willing to be shot. His affliction—as much as he hated to admit it—would give him the advantage of not feeling the bullets and perhaps time enough to stop Abe once and for all but he couldn't risk anyone else. Abe waved him back down the incline and into the glen, following carefully so as not to slip on the muddy ground.

The sisters had stopped their approach and simply waited. Their song was a dim hum in the background of Nathan's mind.

Abe smiled slightly. "Do you really think you can beat me, you're mentor?"

Nathan's anger and frustration roared to life, filling him with a sickening rage. "You're not my mentor! You're nothing but a monster!"

The older man chuckled. "There it is, that beautiful righteous anger you keep locked away. It's so wonderful to see the real you again."

"Go to hell," Nathan snarled, unable to stop from lunging forward.

Abe waggled the pistol once. It was enough for bring Nathan back from his bloody minded thoughts, pushing back images of tearing the man apart from his mind. The darkness within him howled in primordial rage at being denied release.

"Tut-tut, Nate," Abe warned him with a malicious grin. Nathan took a step back lowering the axe to his side. "Good boy. But you were always such a good boy, weren't you? Garland's little boy, his special little man. Isn't that what you father used to call you?"

Nathan remained silent, angry and seething, but kept himself under control. He was well aware Abe was trying to goad him into rash action.

"A pity no one knew about the evil within you, the monster you are," the old man said conversationally. He grinned slyly at the cop. "Of course _I _did, but they'll never know that part. Imagine the horror when I reveal the truth to the town."

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked warily.

Abe actually looked surprised at Nathan's question. "You've been corrupted; you're too dangerous in this state. I can't allow you to threaten my work. It's my fault, really. I made too many mistakes with you, didn't cultivate you as I should have. But you can still contribute to our kind's salvation."

The old man shook his head looking regretful for a moment. "You were my greatest accomplishment, my finest work. Do you remember?"

The Whistler's tune came forth, deafening loud, merging with the sister's song and a counterpoint the primal beat within.

Nathan winced, and then cried out in pain. The axe thumped heavily on the damp ground, muffled by the grasses of the glade. Grasping his head he felt the unexpected pain sear through his mind and stab down through his spine, setting his whole world afire in agony. Sensations he hadn't felt in years engulfed him as the memory came forth.

*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*

_Clean. Precise. Sharp. _

_The blade flashes, dips, and comes away tipped in red. A brief scream, a gush of blood._

_Whistling._

_It's over so quickly, it doesn't seem real. _

_The old man's dark eyes are wide in betrayed disbelief. His young killer can see his own reflection in those glossy black depths as a part of him revels in what he sees therein. The Whistler's mouth opens and closes in gasping breaths, a red tint staining thin lips with each new breath. The old man won't be whistling anymore as his sinewy long fingered hands grasp his throat, a wet gurgling sound emerging, as trickles of blood seep forth through the fingers coating his neck and chest. In moments, it is over. The old man falls to the floor, limp, lifeless._

_Without the fear it was so easy._

"_Well done, my son."_

_He smiles enigmatically; pleased he has made the foolish man happy, as he feels the shift within occur. The darkness stirs inside, reaching out and connecting to the new whistling man—the old one's song reclaimed by his son. Underneath he hears the other song. He will kill him—this new Whistler. He will make him suffer for his cruelty. _

_He wants that. It wants that. _

_He wants to stop this evil man, who's made him see and do terrible things. The darkness within agrees. It is pleased with him as It whispers ancient promises in his mind._

_It soon slips away, under the cloak of fear that returns to bide its time._

*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*

Nathan gasped as he came back to the present, finding he had fallen to his hands and knees as the – Nightmare? Memory? – washed over him. Was it real or his imagination?

'_It's real enough_.'

What he doesn't doubt is the old man's death—the death of Absalom Mitchum's father, Gabriel, at Nathan's young hands. It had been the Whistler's orders but still his own doing. Nathan knew he could have resisted Abe's orders to kill Gabriel, but Gabriel was as equally as evil in intent as his son and It had wanted them both as part of their pact.

He remembered how he, Saul, and two other children, Michael Forrester and Anne Hunning, were ordered to dispose of Gabriel's body. Anne had tried to run away but was caught by Saul. She had been punished and deemed unworthy.

He never saw her again.

"It was you—you're family the whole time," Nathan said in shock, finally understanding what was happening. The memories made him want to wallow in self loathing, but he could feel it still, that ancient force within driving him on. Now, he no longer feared It. He was beginning to understand what It wanted.

He needed to end this.

_It needed to end this._

In agreement they acted.

Nathan's knelt down, a steely gaze fixed on Abe. His hand slowly found the handle of the axe with a perception Nathan would have claimed was actual touch, yet somehow too ephemeral for that sensation to be an entirely accurate description. He wrapped his fingers around the wood handle securely once more.

"It's our right to protect ourselves," Abe said simply, unconcerned that Nathan had armed himself once again. "To prevent what happened here from ever happening again."

"What happened here?" Nathan asked curiously, realizing Abe wasn't referring to the murders Nathan had witnessed.

Abe narrowed his eyes, trying to determine if Nathan was genuinely interested about what happened. "Perhaps if you knew the truth, you would see things differently," Abe muttered. He looked hopeful as he continued. "Perhaps you can still be saved, my son."

The older man gestured to the woods around them as he told his tale.

"The Mitchum's long ago were common folk, working at the port repairing ships. They were also known for being fair minded in disposition and judgment and able to make others see reason. Many in Haven came to them to settle disputes. William Mitchum was tasked by the Selectmen and Mayor to negotiate a resolution to a dispute that would take him to New York for several months. He agreed to go with the promise that his wife and five daughters would be protected from the woeful events occurring around town. What we now call the Troubles."

Abe paused as he noticed the youngest sister approach, the same little girl Nathan now remembered. The darkness within him churned at her approach in recognition as well. Nathan saw the sorrow in the girl's eyes as she held out her hand, a single blueberry resting there.

"You see her?" Abe asked, sounding unnerved as he had when Nathan was but a child.

"I always see her," Nathan said quietly, reaching out his right hand to accept the fruit from her cold hand.

Nathan closed his eyes at the terrifying sounds and sensations that washed over him.

*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*

_It was cold. Large men with knives and axes and ropes and burning pitch. There is hatred and evil in their countenances._

_There is the sensation of fists striking flesh, tearing of clothes, screams from her mother and her sisters, screams from her own throat as the men curse them, cut them, touch them, and hurt them. The men stuff their mouths with foul tasting cloth, bound securely in place with gags, to muffle their cries._

_The ground is slippery with mud and blood, bare feet scraped raw and their remaining clothes torn as they are dragged screaming through the woods by their bound hands. They come to the glade, their breaths gasp out as wispy contrails into the freezing night. _

_Each man takes their time, punching, slapping, cutting, violating. She cries out along with her mother and sisters. The cruel men merrily laugh and start all over again. _

_Her last vision, her last breath is that of a man she had thought her father's friend—a man who had once gifted her with sweets to cheer her up when she was mourning the loss of her youngest brother to sickness— his heavy frame pinning her to the ground. He moves over her, heavy, suffocating, thick fingers squeezing her neck. Something builds within and she shrieks through the gag until all went black._

_A time later she returns and can see. She wishes she could not._

_She cries as she watches them tie her limbs together, carve the foul words on her chest, and then hang her naked form from the smallest pine, her tears heavier as each sister and finally Mother follow, to mockingly dangle and rot for ninety-nine days. _

_She cries again when Father finds them, led by the woman as ancient as the land, but he can't hear her weeping for him. No one can._

_Her anger explodes, seeking an outlet._

_Through his righteous anger and bereavement Father can hear her demands for justice. And he acts, unleashing their gift upon Haven. When it is done, she, her mother and sisters are content, ready to depart this world for the next. But it goes wrong. Justice is twisted; her brother's fury, no longer tempered by Father's wisdom by untimely death, twists the gift given to them._

_Twenty-seven years later, the nightmare cycle begins. They are bound to Wytchebough, waiting for another to hear them._

_So the cycle repeats each generation. William's descendants never listen to the song as it was intended. The darkness flows and with each new cycle the sisters relive the nightmare and the sacrifices until the troubles pass._

_Again. And again._

*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*

Nathan opened his eyes, his vision watery at the flood of images, and he can taste the tears that reach his lips. He brushes them away quickly. He popped the blueberry into his mouth, chewing slowly as Alice smiled at him, her eyes cold and calculating. He understands now. All of it.

He fixed an equally icy gaze on Abe Mitchum. "I know what happened."

"William and his son returned three months later to find his wife and daughters missing, their home burned. No one in the town claimed to know what happened, but a woman, a stranger, told him a story of unspeakable things done in the forest. She led William, the town constable and a dozen men to the place. They found his wife and daughters there, hanging from the trees. Terrible things had been done to them."

"When William sought justice the Selectmen and Mayor deeded the land to William as compensation for his loss, mocking him by naming it Wytchebough. He stood on the steps of the gathering hall and cursed the town with the deaths of their children until the murderers turned themselves in to face justice. And his curse came to pass: twenty-seven children of the six men that carried out the heinous act were killed by their parent's own hands at William's command. A twenty eighth child—a son—was spared when his father came forth and admitted his crimes, giving name to the other five men involved before he killed himself. The town lynched the five men, as well as two Selectmen and the Mayor."

Nathan shook his head at Abe before he continued.

"But it didn't end. When the Troubles and the Five Sisters arose with them. Another twenty seven were chosen and sacrificed and they went away. And so it happened every time the Troubles arose. The Sisters rise to seek revenge upon Haven for what was done to them. The Mitchums carry out that revenge—twenty seven murders of appeasement."

Abe actually smiled at Nathan re-telling of his family's story. "Then you understand now. The twenty seven sacrifices required of each generation are to appease the Five Sisters. Do you understand now my desire to end the cycle and release them?"

"All I wanted was to end William Mitchum's curse on Haven. The town has paid for the sins they committed against his wife and daughters in this place. With you, Tricia, and Kenny I would have succeeded in finally releasing them from the torment of Wytchebough," Abe said. "Tricia was the hand to destroy their physical prison, Kenny the eye in which to see them to their final rest, and you the mind to guide them. It would have been glorious."

"Except the Sisters don't want the sacrifices," Nathan said flatly. "They never did."

"Just as you don't want to free the Sisters from Wytchebough so they may rest. You wanted them gone so you could control Haven," Nathan said matter-of-factly, spinning the axe in hand once. "The Sisters have been holding back William's curse as best they could. Somehow you discovered this and viewed it as a threat to your plans."

"Nonsense! I want to save Haven. You've condemned Haven to another cycle of sacrifice." Abe shook his head dismissively.

"You have no idea of what will happen if the Sisters are no longer here to hold back William's curse," Nathan warned the older man.

"I know exactly what I'm doing." Abe snorted contemptuously. "Haven will be purged, its sins washed away. And I will see our kind rise to our rightful place."

It slinked out of the dark recesses of Nathan's mind, that ancient anger that had been buried within him all those years ago. It showed him what awaited Haven. Visions of hundreds of people, their afflictions brought forth all at once, chaos and violence racking the town as those like Reverend Driscoll and his followers were beset upon by Haven itself. Friend would be set against friend, family against family, and devastation would level the town in one final paroxysm of destruction that would leave nothing in its wake. There would be no losers, no winners, no families, no friends, only the suffering dead.

That is what It showed him so long ago.

"You've got it all wrong, Abe," Nathan said quietly, "So very wrong."

Abe chuckled at that. "Perhaps. But don't worry. You'll still serve a purpose, Nathan. Pity you'll only be remembered as a killer—a butcher who so loathed his affliction that even as a boy he hunted down and brutally slaughtered his own kind. Oh how shocked the town will be when Kenny here tells them all the horrible things you've done before I rescued him. Won't you Kenny?"

Kenny remained silent. Abe frowned whistling sharply. The boy blinked slowly and nodded once before speaking, his voice devoid of emotion. "Yes, Mr. Mitchum."

Abe smiled and suddenly tossed the pistol to the ground between him and Nathan. Nathan watched in surprise when the other pulled forth a long, old looking knife that reminded me of the bayonets he'd seen in history books and documentaries.

"Now, first things first," Abe said with sinister smile. "We have to do this properly."

TBC


	22. Chapter 21

A/N I'm including an extra warning for this chapter for violence.

**The Whistler - Chapter 21**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Audrey grunted heavily as she hit the ground, growling in frustration at herself for tripping over the root. Scrambling to her feet she saw Duke had paused ahead of her to see if she was okay.

"Go!" She waved him on. They had to get to Nathan. She knew that he was in danger and she wasn't going to let her slower speed and growing fatigue slow down Duke. The smuggler, breathing deeply, merely nodded once and took off again through the heavy woods.

Taking a moment to catching her breath she started off one again, following the broken trail Duke left in his wake.

*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*

Nathan was surprised at the speed and deftness of Abe's use of the knife. Despite this he was able to block the man and forced him back with a swipe of the axe blade. Mitchum seemed surprised as Nathan felt after he glanced down, expecting to see several cut and finding none.

'_It's not like I can feel him cut me,_' Nathan though, allowing a small smile to come to his face. It was still there—that darkness fueling his anger but somehow it felt different, he was in control of it and not it controlling him, they were in harmony.

Nathan looked back at Abe with more confidence, twirling the axe in his hand as he felt his confidence grow. He understood why the dark things within him no longer held sway. He—It—_They_ were going to kill Absalom Mitchum and take back what he had corrupted.

Abe seemed suddenly unsure about the change in Nathan's demeanor, widening his stance warily as the cop twirled the axe a second time. Nathan whistled a short tune: a warning, a promise.

Abe jerked back in surprise, sniffing loudly before brushing an arm across his nose. It came away smeared with red. Abe sneered but Nathan could see the first genuine glimmer of fear and doubt in the man's eyes.

"You're a fool," Abe hissed and came back in slashing. Nathan easily avoided the man, swiping at the older man and taking satisfaction at the howl of outrage that told him he had connected metal to flesh.

Abe swiped at the gash on his arm, before nodding as if acknowledging Nathan with respect before he was on the cop again. Nathan found himself on the defensive under the flurry of strikes and jabs, the blade's dull color flashing none-the-less in the darkening afternoon. The cops movements became slower, more sluggish with each new block or parry. After a wide arcing swing missed, Nathan found himself on one knee, gasping, axe laying a few feet a way and a nasty gash on the back of his right hand.

"You don't hear it anymore, do you Nathan?" Abe asked, stalking around in front of Nathan.

Abe started whistling his song again as he waved the knife as if conducting his own orchestra.

Nathan realized the older man was correct, mostly. The song in his head was distant, fading, a mere echo of itself. He wasn't worried though, because he could hear the new song. But there was something else, a different one, deeper, primal, pulling at the edge of his thoughts. Something was coming. Something new, something ancient, it was coming for them all.

Abe circled around in front of him, a mere foot step away from the hand axe, and ceased whistling his tune. "Be still."

Nathan tried lunging for the nearby axe but found he was unable to move. He was paralyzed. He knew he should be afraid, he was at the monster's mercy, but he wasn't. Abe slashed the knife across his chest, seemingly fascinated that Nathan didn't so much as twitch.

The old man stood over Nathan with a regretful look. "You could have been my heir, Nathan. You would have been my legacy, become a legend yourself."

"Legends are overrated," Nathan muttered. "I'd rather be me."

As Abe raised the knife, Nathan well expected the next thrust to kill him, but was still oddly unafraid.

He was astonished when he heard a hoarse bellow. A moment later, Duke Crocker tackled Abe to the ground, the men rolling several times in the detritus at the edge of the glen as they struggled in earnest.

Nathan found himself free from the control the old man had over him. He glanced over to see Kenny too was no longer frozen, looking around wildly. Nathan turned back to the two men struggling on the ground, not surprised to see Abe actually had the upper hand on the smuggler.

He suddenly felt cold inside, a sensation he hadn't in years. Detached, he watched the two men struggle. The ancient anger wanted free to feast, reminding him of every moment of terror and fear and pain and humiliation both men had inflicted upon him in his life. The song in his head twisted, jarring and ugly now, shredding his sanity, his reason, and his judgment in a haze of chaos and pain and nightmarish thoughts.

_Taunting. Empty black eyes. Pinocchio. A flash of a blade. Tacks in the back. A broken radio scattered across the sidewalk. A spray of blood misting the air. Screams for help. Screams of pain._

There's only one solution to end the suffering.

_He'll kill them all._

Duke saw him kneeling there watching the struggle. "Nathan!"

Nathan ignored the man's call as he wrapped his hand around the axe handle and slowly stood. He stared at the two men struggling, considering, eyes dark and predatory. They both deserved this, they both deserved to suffer.

"Nathan!"

He felt a flare of anger at Duke's plaintive half choked call. Duke deserved to suffer, they both did, everyone did. But older anger, a well and truly deserved fury rose within him at the site of the Whistler's hands encircling his former friend's neck.

Duke's face was a mask of terror and pleading and desperate struggle. Nathan remembered the taunts, the loneliness, the tacks in his back, and fists to face. But he also remembered exploring the police station and marina, little league, their first beers and double dates in dark woods. Duke may have been an ass who tormented him, but Abe was a truly tortuous monster.

_The blade flashes, dips, and comes away tipped in red. A brief scream, a gush of blood._

He heard the music, different, older, and no less dangerous in his head. He started whistling.

_Whistling._

Nathan looked to Kenny, who's eyes were glazed over. Nathan whistled louder, earning the boy's focus. He nodded once toward the pair on the ground and saw darkness briefly pass through the boy's eyes in reply. Kenny's whistles joined his own.

Nathan turned and strode up to Abe, the older man—seemingly oblivious to Nathan's presence in his rage—had pinned Duke to the ground, hand wrapped firmly around the younger man's throat. He grasped Abe's shoulder as the man reached back with knife in fisted hand intent on plunging the blade into the flesh of another innocent. The older man looked shock as Nathan twisted him to the side and unerring struck down with the hand axe with all his strength, leaving behind a long crimson trail along the older man's chest.

_Clean._

Nathan pulled the howling, bloodied man off Duke. The smuggler quickly scrambled away, coughing and wheezing as he rubbed his throat as Nathan threw Abe down and struck again, nearly severing the man's knife wielding hand from his forearm. The bloody knife fell from nerveless fingers to the ground as Abe screeched in pain, clutching his mangled arm to his chest.

_Precise._

Abe's dark eyes locked on to Nathan's cool gaze as he gave the old man a mirthless grin—egged on by It and the Sisters song—and whistled louder. He could see the fear and terror rise into the older man's eyes. He stepped to the side to get a better angle when Abe tried to push himself off the ground with his intact arm and scoot away. Nathan struck a third time at the shoulder of Abe's good arm, axe this time lodged so firmly that it slipped from his blood soaked hands as Abe fell back with a cry to lay upon the grass, moaning and whimpering.

The Whistler's blood quickly pooled around him staining the ground beneath.

_It's over so quickly, it doesn't seem real. _

Nathan merely stared at the mangled form before him, moaning and writhing on the ground, feeling none of the satisfaction he had expected at watching the Whistler's suffering. This…violent retribution…wasn't what wanted. He wanted justice.

His whistling quickly died, and the glen was eerily still and silent. So too did the darkness and anger within start to recede. It was pleased to have chosen him well; all It wanted was for him to complete one final act of mercy. While he doesn't want anyone to suffer anymore he can't bring himself to be merciful for the Whistler.

Nathan staggered away, dazed and feeling fuzzy headed. Before he realized it Duke was beside him, steadying him as they walked away from Mitchum. Duke gave him the once over with concern in his dark eyes, but Nathan just weakly waved him off before his sometimes nemesis could ask if he was all right.

"M'fine. Check…kids…," Nathan said, allowing Duke to help guide him to his knees as his legs gave out under him.

His vision narrowed to a tunnel and what he could see was washed out, faded. Had the sun already gone down?

_The sisters watched with rapt expressions. Alice caught his eyes and smiled._

He heard Duke ask Kenny if he was alright and the boy's answering voice, both bright points in his mind. He could feel darkness behind him, to the left where the Whistler lay dying, but he suddenly found himself unable to understand the growing brightness he could feel rushing towards them, more brilliant than the sun.

He was just tired and wanted to sleep, but he felt that restless pull once more. Something moved behind him.

A rumbling sound, like thunder echoed in his head and the darkness came unexpectedly flooding forth in fury. He whirled to find the Whistler fall to his knees in, a neat little hole in his chest where the bullet struck. The old man's mouth is a perfect 'O' of surprise as the knife slips from his fingers.

Rage swept over Nathan. He grabbed the knife and unleashed his frenzied anger on the monster, any thoughts of forgiveness or mercy wiped away.

The music resonated within his being.

He didn't hear anything else. The blade flashed once, striped red and dripping.

"Nathan, stop!"

'_No!' _

He ignored the voice, rage consuming him. He knew that voice, but it was so distant and far away. The monster is here—right here—before him.

Nathan was on top of the fallen man in an instant slashing twice before he raised the knife over his head. The music so overwhelming, all consuming. _It needs to end this._

A hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping another downward slash. He whipped around, snarling at whoever dared interfere, fully intent on making them suffer as much as the Whistler if the got in the way. He blindly shoved the person away and focused on the monster beneath him. It didn't even fully register in his mind that the touch—long, strong calloused fingers wrapped around his wrist—was soft and warm until he heard her lilting voice again. Softer this time.

"Nathan."

Silence. Sunlight. And a smell his mind curiously labeled _dawn_.

Nathan blinked in surprise, staring down at the terrified bloody face of Absalom Mitchum. Abe's no longer the fearsome monster Nathan remembered. He's a bitter, violent, old man, something to be reviled. There is only fear in those dark eyes, no power, no control.

Nathan inhaled sharply, the smell of blood filling his nostril with its coppery sweet scent. The world was strangely still, his arm motionless above him, the music is gone, and the darkness with it.

He still wanted to drive the blade down. A killing stroke for a killer.

"Nathan." The voice was soft as a whisper and gentle—gentle in a way he can't remember hearing since…since his mom died. All he could hear is her: Audrey, his partner, his confidant, his friend, silence, sunlight, dawn.

It's enough to end the nightmare.

He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply, feeling surprisingly free and light, before opening them again. He pushed off from Abe without a second look, the old blade dangling loose in his fingers as he considered it before he tossed it aside. He stumbled a few paces away and fell back to his knees, eyes closed in exhaustion.

The touch of her warm fingers on his cheek felt like heaven. He sighed, regretful he hadn't told his secret—he can feel her touch—and how important she had become to him. "Nathan?"

'_Are you okay? Are you hurt?' _He can hear her myriad of questions in just his name. She sounded so anxious, so lost and scared he can't refuse to answer her.

"Yeah, Parker," he whispered, opening his eyes to find her blue eyes clouded in worry. He reached up and grasped her fingers, pulling them from his cheek. He's so appreciative for what she has done for him and he can't find the words, can't explain the precipice she pulled him back from. In the end he settles on simplicity. "Thanks."

He was grateful to see that she understood at least most of his meaning, as she smiled in return.

"Nathan."

He shared a look with Audrey at the sound of Abe's wheezy voice. He nodded towards the old man on the ground. He was certain Audrey was going to argue with him for a second as she frowned and looked him closely in the eye. Whatever she saw there seemed to change her mind as she brushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear and then helped him get to his feet.

While he didn't say it to her, he was actually relieved she kept a hand on his arm and back as he walked the short distance back to the bleeding man. He still felt weak, both mentally and physically. While the darkness seemed to be gone, her presence bolstered him.

He wasn't surprised at Abe malicious smile when he finally leaned over the older man. The Whistler's black eyes glared at his blond companion, a bloody sneer crossing his lips. "You haven't won, Lucy. Leave us, my words aren't for you."

Nathan was silently pleased that Audrey snorted beside him in response, not moving an inch from his side. He glanced over to see Alice lightly tread towards them to stand beside the dying old man as her sisters glided back to their trees. She had an implacable expression on her face, a look that made the girl far older and wiser than she should be.

"What, Abe?" he asked.

"Nathan." The old man grinned, flashing bloody teeth. His eyes were glassy yet still held a triumphant, satisfied gleam. "…just like me."

"I'm nothing like you," Nathan hissed.

"_You abused the gift, Absalom," Alice said. "She wants her gift back."_

Absalom's eyes widened as Alice bent down and kissed his forehead. He knew what the girl's words meant. Absalom Mitchum would never harm anyone again.

Nathan wasn't sure what he expected, but he wasn't surprised when Abe simply…stopped. He was gasping, a wheezing coming from him, and suddenly was still, no final exhale Nathan could see, no death rattle, no light in the eyes fading.

The Whistler was simply no more.

TBC


	23. Chapter 22

**The Whistler - Chapter 22**

_By Karolyn Gray_

The Whistler was gone and Nathan was surprised that he felt nothing at that fact. He had thought he would feel vindicated or satisfied or even angry but instead there was nothing. He'd ended the madness, but it didn't make up for those lost.

"Nathan!"

Nathan barely came back to himself in time to catch Kenny and Mike's tackling hugs. His only warning had been the sudden departure of Audrey's warmth from his side. He heard a nearly inaudible clicking sound inside him and groaned. It didn't hurt but he suspected a rib was broken and he was feeling lightheaded. In spite of himself, he chuckled and gave the boys a long hug in return. Beside him he heard Alice giggle and he gave her a wink, which simply sets her of into more giggling.

Looking over Kenny's head, he could see Duke, who cautiously approached to stand by Audrey. His partner was watching him with mixed emotions: obviously worried but with a smile that showed the heartwarming scene of him and the kids had touched her. Duke merely nudged the old man's body with his foot frowning disdainfully before turning back to Nathan and giving him a smirk.

When they finally release one another Nathan lurched unexpected to the side, the world going topsy turvey in his vision for a moment. When he blinked his vision was righted. Audrey was next to him keeping him steady but she seemed fuzzy and just slightly out of focus. Strangely, the boys behind her were as sharp and clear as ever.

"I think I need an ambulance," he said, earning a snort and a long suffering roll of the eyes from his partner.

"The Chief should be at the cabin by now," Audrey told him. He briefly wondered if she even realized she was gently brushing the hair off his forehead. "Duke, would you take Ken back to the truck, see if backup has arrived."

"Sure." The smuggler came behind the boys, looking as indistinct as Audrey. He rested a hand on Kenny and started to lead him away. Kenny was having none of it, shaking the taller man's hand off and rushing over to Nathan's other side and grabbing his hand.

"No! I'm staying with Nathan," Kenny declared.

"But…"

"Just let them stay," Nathan whispered tiredly, wondering why Duke and Audrey shared puzzled expressions at his words.

"Okay," Audrey finally said. She nodded her head to indicate she was going to speak with Duke for a moment and Nathan just dipped his head in agreement.

When alone, Nathan focused on the boys and was glad to see them both looking happy and smiling—dirty, filthy, and exhausted, but smiling.

Kenny tilted his head slightly, looking out at the forest around him with a curious expression. After a moment he returned his gaze to Nathan with a knowing look far beyond his years. "Everything's going to okay now."

"Yeah, I think so," Nathan agreed. There were a lot of questions to be answered and he knew he would have to work through his newly recovered memories. But for now he just wanted to concentrate on getting the boys home and the Whistler case wrapped up as soon possible. The fallout over the Selectman's crimes would likely cause uproar in town but he didn't want to think about that now. "I'm glad you boys are okay."

"Me too," Kenny chimed back, hero worship clearly in his eyes as he smiled at Nathan.

"Thanks, Nate," Mike said, brushing back some of his short blond hair. Nathan noticed the sad look in his hazel eyes as he glanced towards the trees around them. "I'm sorry but I think I have to go now."

Nathan's brow furrowed. "What do you mean you have to go?"

"Nathan, who are you talking to?" Audrey asked from the distance, wondering what Nathan and Kenny are looking at. She and Duke quickly walked over to the pair concerned about their injured friend.

"Mike and Kenny," Nathan said simply, with an agreeing nod from the dark haired boy.

"She can't see me," Mike said. "Neither of them can."

Nathan just shook his head in confusion. "What?"

"Mike's like the others," Kenny said, pointing to the trees around the glen. "Like them."

The three adults looked to where Kenny pointed. Audrey and Duke just looked at each other, the smuggler shaking his head to indicate he saw nothing. When they turned to Nathan they saw his eyes were wide and mouth open in clear shock and amazement.

"Parker, are you seeing this?" Nathan whispered. He could see children, dozens of them streaming out of the forest in all manner of dress. Old and young. Short and tall.

Audrey placed a hand gently on Nathan's uninjured shoulder. "Nathan, you're starting to worry me."

Kenny looked at her, almost apologetic in his nod of acknowledgement before he sat next to Nathan and wrapped the cop's right arm around his small shoulder and leaned into the man's warmth. "She can't see. She doesn't hear the music. We do."

Nathan's vision went watery and quickly blinked away the unexpected tears. "So many."

"Do you see them?" Kenny asked softly.

"Yeah." Nathan said voice low and rough.

"See who? Nathan?" Audrey sounds scared now.

Nathan tilted his head back to look at her, reaching up and taking her hand in his. He nodded in the direction where the apparitions were and she slowly lifted her chin. A moment later she gasped and jerked back breaking contact with Nathan.

"They can't see us, Nate," Mike said coming to stand before the cop and the boy. "It's okay, it's over. We can go now."

"I understand," Nathan said softly. Mike was no longer dirty and disheveled. He looked happy and free, like the others behind him.

"I'm sorry we made fun of you behind your back," the blond boy said with genuine regret. "And I'm sorry for…the rest."

And Nathan finally understood, finally remembered all of it. He nodded once and patted Mike on the shoulder. "It's what kids do."

"Well, I'm still sorry, Nate," Mike said. He turned to Alice, who had stood silently watching the exchange, and smiled. Taking his hand in her own the little girl guided the boy towards the others waiting for him, gathering around the old mother at the foot of the black spruce, some waving as they too turned away. "Bye."

Audrey had settled in beside her partner, looking shaken. "Nathan?" She whispered.

"He's talking to Mike. They're leaving soon." Kenny told her, snuggling further into the cop's arms.

"Who's leaving? There's no one there." Duke demanded in confusion.

"The children. The ones who died," Audrey said quietly. She didn't see any of them, but she had seen how the tree limbs had shaken and moved, the bushes rustled, and the grass sway as something unseen moved through the glen. She couldn't see it, see them, but she somehow sensed they were there. The sadness in her voice drew Nathan's attention away from the last of the fading spirits. He gently took her hand.

"It's okay, Audrey. They're going home." He told her, eyes heavy. At the understanding nod she gave him he finally allowed darkness to overtake him and he slept.

TBC


	24. Chapter 23

**The Whistler - Chapter 23**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Audrey couldn't help the smile that came to her face at the familiar sight. Her partner was sitting at his favorite bench looking out over boats entering and leaving the cove, leaned over with one of his arms resting on his knees. While she was still a little annoyed at him for checking himself out of the hospital without letting anyone know before hand she couldn't help but feel things were getting back to normal.

'_Well, Haven normal,'_ she amended to herself.

That didn't mean she was not going to lecture him about his sudden unscheduled early departure from the hospital, especially since he had obviously promptly ignored the doctor's orders to take it easy for another week or so as evidenced by her spending the last two hours looking for him in the usual places: his home, the police station (under the glaring eyes of the Chief), and even the Gull (which had irked Duke).

As she got closer she could see his was deep in thought, blue eyes focused on some point out on the horizon. She had seen the look several times since he woke in the hospital. She had prodded him about it until he had finally admitted he was more than a little bothered by what happened. She didn't blame him, especially after what the investigation at the Mitchum estate had revealed.

Honoria-Marie "Mary" Mitchum, Abe's daughter and only surviving child, had been more than forthcoming about her family's activities. She was also disturbingly more concerned about her impending arranged marriage—she claimed Nathan to be the groom—than she was about helping them discover the location of the known missing children. She had been matter of fact about the kidnappings and murders, claiming all of it were necessary to ensure her family's survival and ability to protect the Troubled.

With the information garnered from the ongoing investigation, the story Nathan related to her in confidence, and some digging into the archives by the Teagues brothers and the town historian they had quickly discovered a series of kidnappings and murders dating back over a century directly to the family.

They still hadn't found Clive Armin or the mysterious girl named Jenny that Kenneth Hamilton had last seen the day before his rescue.

She had been surprised at how quickly an inquest into the death of Selectman Mitchum had wrapped up before Nathan had even been questioned in his role. But by then, it was common knowledge around town of what the Mitchums had done. No one seemed the least bit interested in questioning Nathan's actions or her own. The police were being hailed for breaking the case, Nathan especially so given the number of people who'd approached Audrey requesting she'd pass along their well wishes to her partner as he recovered in the hospital.

Shaking off thoughts of the ongoing investigation, Audrey slipped onto the bench next to her partner. He didn't seem to notice she was there as he continued to silently stare out over the water, a gentle breeze ruffling his short brown hair. She noted he wore his ubiquitous green jacket against the cool weather as she pulled her own jacket tighter around herself before she leaned back and just watched the sun lower in the afternoon sky, not a cloud in sight.

"Missed you at the hospital," she finally said.

"Had to see someone." His reply was soft and considering as he leaned back against the back of the bench. Underneath the jacket the white straps for the sling on his left arm stood out in sharp contrast to the grey t-shirt he wore. When he glanced out of the corner of his eye, she was watching him intently, studying him. "Dr. Lucassi."

"Honoria-Marie is probably going to end up at a facility in Bangor, I'm told," Audrey told him, pushing a loose lock of hair behind her ear.

"Probably best," Nathan noted with as much interest as one would have in talking about the weather on a clear day.

"But that's not why you went to see him," Audrey guessed. His silence was confirmation enough to her supposition. She knew he had been having nightmares about what happened to him—both as a child and recently. He had confided in her that he wasn't sure if his memory of events as a child were real or not.

"It's just going to take time, Nathan," she told him. "What happened back then—what's happened now—it's not your fault."

"I know." His answer was almost a near whisper and as much as she wanted to grab him by the shoulders and make him see the truth it was ultimately something he'd have to deal with on his own. She could at least make sure he knew he could come to her if he needed it.

"You know you can talk to me…if you need to or want to," she said. "Anytime. I'm your friend."

He finally looked at her then, a grateful look in his clear blue eyes even as his face remained impassive. "I know." He cast his eyes down, rubbing his hands together, something she had seen him do several times in the hospital.

"There's…." He hesitated a moment before looking back up at her with a serious expression. "There's just some things I can't talk to you about. You're my friend and…there are some things I just can't burden you with. Maybe someday, but not…yet. Do you understand?"

She considered his words against her own recent growing concerns over who—or what—she was. "Yeah," she finally replied, voice sounding breathy.

He gave her a small smile before looking away once more to the sea. She settled back in beside him and they sat for some time with their own thoughts.

"I wanted to kill him."

Nathan's sudden words had her leaning forward in surprise. She didn't blame her partner for his sentiment given the revelations of what the Mitchums had done to kids like him, especially as Nathan was the sole known survivor of those atrocities.

"That's to be expected," she said. "What Mitchum did was…well, I just can't imagine how horrible it was for you."

"I wasn't talking about the Whistler."

Audrey was puzzled by that statement. She reached out and grasped his chin, turning Nathan's head toward her. She saw that strangely blank look on his face, the one she had come to associate with him not wanting to face something. "Then who did you want to kill?"

"Duke."

She knew she must have blinked in surprise or did something with her face because Nathan suddenly pulled away from her touch and sighed heavily, looking defeated, scared, and somehow…smaller, vulnerable.

"When he and Abe were on the ground, fighting… for a moment, for the barest moment, I…I wanted to kill him—kill both of them." Nathan swallowed hard and looked away. "Something in me, I—it wanted them dead. But _I_ wanted to kill them too. It was only for a moment but…but it was there."

"And you're worried you might…what...be tempted to kill someone?" Audrey asked softly.

"I have before as a cop. I'm not that different from Abe when you look at it objectively." Nathan said.

"You are nothing like Absalom Mitchum," Audrey told him fiercely, actually angry he thought of himself in that way.

"Maybe. Sometimes I think so." He licked his lips nervously and looked down almost as if he was shy. "Before you came to Haven I was withdrawing from the world. A little bit each day, each week, each month. And then you came, and everything was…is…different. I can't help wonder, maybe my…whatever this is…maybe I'm losing my humanity to it."

"I envy you."

That statement earned her a perplexed expression from her partner. She shook her head, looking self-deprecating.

"You think you're numbness separates you from the world but you have this way of connecting to people, Nathan. A way of connecting I've never been able to do," Audrey told him honestly. "I envy it."

"I don't know what to say to that."

"Then just go back to being my monosyllabic, tough guy partner," she suggested with a small laugh.

He joined her quiet laughter with a soft chuckle. "Thanks," he replied gently, understanding her attempt to reassure him.

"You know there's a little welcome back party at the Gull for you tomorrow," she told him. As she expected his face scrunched up in distaste.

"Not really up for a party," Nathan told her.

"Well, just think about it," she replied. "People are grateful you stopped the murders and gave closure to a lot of people."

"Huh."

Nathan's sudden comment and look of surprise had Audrey curious. "What?"

"I don't hear it anymore," Nathan said, his head slightly cocked to the side like he was listening for something.

"Don't hear what?" Audrey asked, mimicking him. She didn't hear anything but the usual sounds of the cove: the waves, the wind, and the occasional noise of the passing boats and their passengers.

"The music," her partner answered with a smile. "I just hear you."

"_He hears you, Lucy."_

Audrey was certain she shivered at remembering Tybalt Haskil's final words to her, but simply smiled to cover her shock. She felt a stab of guilt as she realized she hadn't checked to see if arrangements had been made for the kindly old man after she had read the coroner's report on his death and vowed to do so tomorrow.

"Well, does that mean you'll listen to me when I say we go get some pancakes and then get you home to that resting you're supposed to be doing?" She asked.

He squinted over at her with a sardonic expression. "Prob'ly."

"Come on; time to get your weekly quota of pancakes."

TBC


	25. Chapter 24

**The Whistler - Chapter 24**

_By Karolyn Gray_

Nathan stood on the dimly lit deck outside the Grey Gull leaning against the railing as he looked out over the water. Little waves lapped at the shore line and reflected the light of the moon in chaotic patterns he found quite soothing. He could hear people laughing and talking over the music, glasses and bottles and cutlery clinking and clacking against plates. He had started to feel claustrophobic and had excused himself to catch some air—and space—from the throng of well wishers.

It wasn't that he was ungrateful for the party and the sentiment behind it, but he didn't feel comfortable being lauded a hero for doing his job. The nightmares, while becoming more infrequent and less intense, were not helping him either.

"Nathan."

Nathan turned to the black haired man in simple jeans and flannel shirt standing at the doorway with a hesitant look. He found himself smiling at the other man, pleased to see he looked better than he had the last time they met. "Hey, Keith. How's Kenny doing?"

Keith Hamilton shrugged, looking sheepish as he nodded down towards his left side. "Actually, why don't you ask him yourself?"

"Officer Wuornos!" Kenny burst onto the deck. Nathan barely had time to get low enough to catch the boy, who wrapped his arms around the cop with a laugh.

Nathan returned the hug and then stepped back, ruffling the boy's hair a bit. "Hey there, Kenny."

"We both just wanted to say thank you. I want to say thank you, Nate. I know I said some pretty nasty things back at the base camp," Keith said, looking abashed.

Nathan just shook his head. He and Keith had never seen eye to eye on many things, even when they were kids. If the man was willing to put aside whatever grudge he had against him, Nathan was more than willing to along with Keith's efforts to mend fences between them. "You were just worried about your son."

"Well, thanks anyway. I won't forget this, Nate. I mean it. I owe you my son's life." Keith glanced down at his son, who had been patiently waiting—by shuffling from foot to foot—while his dad and hero had talked. "I'll give you two a minute."

"Keith," Nathan paused for a moment, uncertain on how to say what he had to tell Keith. The man in the past had made it clear he disliked the Troubled. "You do know your son is…different?"

Keith scratched the side of his neck and looked down for a moment before he nodded to his son. "I know. He's like his grandfather." And with that Keith went back inside the Gull, leaving Nathan to wonder if Keith had the same affliction as his son. Nathan had enough experience with other Troubled folks to know some came to hate themselves and the other afflicted they encountered.

Kenny scuffing of his shoes on the deck drew Nathan's attention back to the boy, who was smiling up at him. Nathan went back to leaning against the rail. "So how have you been, Kenny? Glad to be back home and with your friends?"

Kenny nodded his enthusiastically. "Yeah. It's great. Mom and Dad won't let me play outside but I'm glad to be home."

"Good," Nathan said, relieved to hear the boy seemed to be adjusting so well to everything that happened.

"Mom's afraid, 'cause I can see things other people can't," Kenny admitted looking back through the entranceway back into the Gull. "I'm not supposed to tell people about it."

"She'll adjust. Just give her time. You're Dad will help," Nathan assured him, making a mental note to keep in touch with Kenny's parents until they adjusted to their son's affliction.

"Dad said Grandpa is coming from Florida to help take care of me," Kenny said with an agreeing nod.

"Well that's good. I bet you'll have lots of fun then," Nathan replied, suspecting Kenny's grandfather was probably afflicted or had dealt with the affliction before.

Kenny came up to the railing, trying to look out over the water. Nathan hoisted the boy up to sit on the barrier beside him, keeping a hand on him to prevent him from possibly falling over, while they both looked out into the night.

"Officer Wuornos, who was Mike?"

Nathan took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. _This_ was one of the issues he was still having trouble wrapping his mind around, which was saying a lot considering the oddities common to his home town.

"He was an old…friend," Nathan admitted.

Nathan saw Kenny look at him out of the corner of his eye before looking down at the rippling water. "Mr. Mitchum killed him, like the rest," the boy said quietly.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

Nathan simply nodded at the boy's sincere words. "Me too. But he's in a better place now. You helped do that."

"I did?" Kenny sounded surprised.

Nathan turned to look at him and nodded his head. Until he had said the words he hadn't really believed that Kenny had somehow brought peace to Mike and the others. He didn't think himself religious much, but somehow he did think Kenny had helped Mike pass on.

"Yep. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise." Nathan said. He heard a soft sound behind them and glanced over to see Keith back was back at the entrance watching them. Nathan leaned in close to ensure only the boy would hear his whisper. "Remember, you're special, Kenny."

"Sorry to interrupt but we should get doing," Keith said from the door.

"Sure, Keith." Nathan nodded to the other man as he turned his back to the water. Catching Kenny's eyes the boy nodded solemnly at Nathan's unasked question. Satisfied, Nathan lifted Kenny off the railing and back onto the deck, giving him a small pat on the shoulder. "See ya around Kenny."

Kenny nodded and walked over to his dad. "Bye Officer Wuornos."

"I think it's okay if you call me Nate."

"Okay, bye Officer Nate!" Kenny called with a wave as they went back into the Gull. Nathan watched them wander through the crowd, speaking with Audrey and then Duke, both of whom apparently had been looking for him based on the Kenny helpfully pointing back to the open door.

Settling back into his view of the water, Nathan waited to see who would come to find him first: Audrey or Duke. He was actually surprised when the smuggler quietly placed a fresh beer bottle beside his hand and then assumed a similarly lounging position against the rail.

"I know who the kid in the sketch was," Duke said quietly before taking a swig from his own beer bottle.

"Michael Forrester," Nathan said. He knew were his sometimes nemesis was going and didn't really want to talk about it but he couldn't see how he could avoid it for much longer. Duke had a right to know.

"He disappeared about the same time you did," Duke noted flatly.

Nathan sighed. "I know."

"He died at that cabin didn't he?" Duke asked.

Nathan momentarily considered lying but rejected the idea as he took a sip from the bottle. Mike had been Duke's friend and Duke was now his friend—well, friend was bit of a stretch for their current détente but it would do. He owed Duke as much of an explanation as he could give him. He set his drink down, and leaned heavily on the railing.

"I think so. I remember being there with him, the night Mr.—the Whistler let me go," he told the other man softly. He knew that one of the remains discovered at the Mitchum property and identified had been those of Michael Forrester. "He was one of the first remains identified."

"Audrey said you thought you were talking to someone named Mike?"

Nathan glanced over to find Duke watching him with a curious expression. Nathan found himself unable to hold the other man's dark eyes for long before looking back over the moonlit water.

"It was Mike," he finally said.

Duke let out a breath, air almost whistling through his teeth as he considered the cop's words. Nathan half expected some remark—what kind he wasn't sure—but instead Duke sounded strangely somber. "Okay, Haven has some pretty weird crap going down but—that? Ghosts? Whatever the hell he was supposed to be."

"I had lost a lot of blood," Nathan offered as a way of explanation. He half bought the explanation himself most of the time.

"So a hallucination?"

Nathan wasn't sure what to think of what happened out in the woods. He knew Kenny was Troubled, somehow able to see spirits of the dead, and he was certain he was saw Mike and the other apparitions in the woods. But were they ghosts or just his imagination? Given Audrey telling him she thought she had sensed…_something_… he wasn't sure.

Nathan shrugged at the smuggler's question. "Sure. Why not? My subconscious bringing back a kid I hated and tormented me, who likely died because of me." Nathan didn't mean to let the last part out, the self loathing he still held over the idea that he might have left Mike alone to die a gruesome death at the hands of the Mitchums.

"That sick bastard killed Mike. Not you," Duke said vehemently.

"Yeah."

An uncomfortable silence fell between them, making the air seem thick and heavy. Nathan couldn't think of anything more to add to what he'd already said that would explain himself better or make what had happened any easier to comprehend. He could tell by Duke's uneasy shuffling beside him, the man was either at a loss for words or had questions he wasn't sure how to ask. So instead they looked out over the water in silence.

Nathan allowed a small smile to come to his face as he detected the all too familiar sound of his partner's boots striking the deck to catch his attention. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Duke glance at him, mouth opening to ask what Nathan was smiling about. The expression brought an even broader smile to his face.

"Hey Audrey," Nathan called over his shoulder.

His partner slid in between the two men, resting her arms on the railing as she looked between them with a questioning glance. Duke just shrugged and tilted his head towards Nathan, who in turn gave her an uncharacteristically soft nudge with his elbow in a rare show of initiating contact. Audrey just chuckled softly at her partner and shook her head, releasing a sigh of tension she hadn't even realized was there.

Audrey leaned against the rail, mimicking the two men, and rested her head in her palm. She gave Nathan a small smile as she fiddled with his beer bottle. "So, how're you doing?" Audrey asked.

Both Audrey and Duke immediately noticed Nathan freeze at her question. It almost seemed like the world went still with him with a sudden cessation of the gentle breeze and a lull in the noise from the Gull's patrons. A second later he exhaled slowly, and the surreal moment was gone.

Nathan gave her a twitch of a smile and long look before he rubbed his lower lip self-consciously. He could lie and she would call him on it. Even Duke could see that as he watched the pair with a speculative look in his dark eyes.

"Gettin' there," Nathan finally replied. He reached for his beer and took a long pull from the bottle.

Audrey simply nodded her acceptance and turned her attention back to the moonlighting glinting of the waves.

"So that's it?" Duke looked incredulous as two pairs of blue eyes turned to his bewildered voice. He was momentarily silenced at the near identical raised eyebrows—one brown, one blond, both clearly quizzical—and matching inquisitive expressions. For a sliver of a moment, he envied their…partnership…friendship…connection…whatever it was that had developed between them. Filing away the bond between them in his mind for later reflection he continued on with his original thought.

"So you ask him how he's doing, and you reply okay. And that's it? Everything's cool?" Duke asked, gesturing between the two cops several times as he spoke.

"Yes." They stared at him unblinking as they replied in unison. It was enough to make him decide they had definitely spent too much time together.

Duke let out a amused chuckle at their answer. Shrugging to himself he just grinned and decided to go along with it. A sly, knowing smile flitted across his face. "Well, okay then."

"Going to head on out," Nathan announced. "Get some sleep."

"I've got you covered here." Audrey gestured her head over her shoulder and back towards the door leading into the crowded bar.

With a quick thanks, Nathan left Audrey and Duke on the deck, using the outer walk to reach the parking lot and avoid anyone looking for him. He appreciated the intentions of those at the party, but he was tired of dealing with people for the night.

After he slid into his Bronco and shut the driver's side door, he let out a sigh of relief. He was relieved to be in silence, reveling in its stillness. Putting the key in the ignition, the old pirate decal on the glove box caught his attention in the dim light. The white skull and crossbones seem to glow from out the shadow. A shiver ran down his spine at the sight of it. Unable to help himself he flipped the glove box cover down and sat back, breath suddenly sharp and erratic. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears at the sudden rush of the near panic attack.

For a moment, just the briefest of moments, he swore he heard the Whistler's Song in his head.

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to calm himself, remembering Lucassi's techniques to deal with his lingering anxiety.

It would take time.

TBC

A/N: I had originally planned to end it here for a potential sequel but then realized I had no ideas for a sequel anyway.


	26. Epilogue

A/N: Thank you to everyone who's made it to the end of this story. Thanks for all the favs, reviews, and comments. I appreciate the support and constructive criticisms. I hope everyone found this story enjoyable to read despite some of the subject matter covered. You've all been awesome readers.

**Epilogue**

*`~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*

_Shaking his head in bemusement he started the truck up, engine coming to life with a roar before idling back to its usual rumbling tenor. He glanced over to the glove box again feeling foolish for his reaction and flipped it back shut before he put the truck into gear and started on to his destination._

_Twenty minutes later he slowed his truck to a halt on the dirt road, noting the police tape, the barricades and two police cars parked outside the now familiar cabin and workshop. He had heard the Chief had put security around the old Mitchum cabin after someone tried to burn it to the ground a couple of days back._

_He could already see the two cops, one of which looked to be Stan, coming towards his truck. He killed his lights and turned off the vehicle, not really wanting to explain what he was doing out here when he wasn't sure himself. Resigning himself to coming up with an excuse he opened the door and climbed out._

_Then he heard it. A soft tune in his mind. He froze midway through slamming the door shut, breath caught in his throat. This time, it wasn't fear he felt. He had his solution. He started whistling what he had come to think of as the Whistler's Song._

"_Hey Nathan, what're you doing out here this time of night? Thought you'd be at the party," Stan asked curiously, looking Nathan up and down. He noted the officer behind Stan looked less than friendly, eyes overly wide and hand resting on his service weapon._

_Nathan just whistled as he finished closing the door and slowly turned to face the pair. After a few more bars, he stopped and closely looked at the duo, noting the glassy looks in their eyes. _

"_I was never here," he told them._

_They both blinked, looking around with puzzled expression before Stan looked at the other officer with an annoyed expression. "Are you sure you saw something out here?"_

_The other man frowned and glared out into the surrounding woods, seemingly looking right through Nathan. "I thought I did."_

_Stan just huffed and started walking back towards the cabin. "Well come on, it's too cold to tromping around out here at this time of night."_

_Nathan watched the entire exchange in silent surprise, watching the pair turn back to their post lightly griping about the duty they'd been assigned. Satisfied at the results he started whistling again, a different tune. He wasn't surprised when heard an echoing answer. It was barely discernable but it was enough to guide his way._

_He walked through the forest, into the heavy canopied growth that blocked out the moonlight. He didn't have a lantern or flashlight to guide him through the gloom, but he didn't stumble once. The path was clear to him in his mind as he whistled his tune. There was no frightful run through the woods, gasping for breath, no fear-fueled adrenaline coursing through his veins, and no nightmarish thoughts and deeds to be performed._

_Soon he broke from the cover of the trees into the familiar glade. He stopped short at seeing the changes there. The grasses were drying, three of the Five Sisters—the five pines—were now mere timber fall their bark silvered with age and shriveled roots twisted in the air, and the black spruce looked to have been split in two by a lightening strike, hollowed with broken limbs littering the ground around it. He could see in the moonlight the first pine saplings already sporting mosses and lichens, junipers, moosewood and blueberries bushes, and, as he got within twenty feet of the remaining two pines the woodbine's maroon cover. The forest was reclaiming Wytchebough at an unnatural rate. _

'_Or putting it back the way it should have been.' Nathan mused as he stopped a couple yards away from the where the Five Sisters had stood._

"_Hello, Nathan."_

_He smiled gently and turned to his right to see the little girl he knew was Alice Mitchum walking towards him with a gentle smile on her face._

"_Hello, Alice."_

_Alice didn't offer him anything to eat this time, she merely wrapped her thin arms around him in a hug, Nathan shivering even as he welcome and returned her cold embrace. Releasing one another she stepped back._

"_Why did you call me Alice? I thought you were free." Nathan knelt down to be face to face with her, concerned by her very presence here._

_The girl nodded her head, dark hair flowing over her shoulders. "I am. We are. When Wytchebough is reclaimed by the green the Whistler's song will never harm another and the door will close."_

_Nathan welcomed the news until he remembered one important fact. "Honoria-Marie is still alive."_

"_There will be no more Whistlers by the end of this night. My sister Bethia will see to it." Alice said the words so emotionlessly that Nathan felt a tremor of fear at their implication but not for himself._

"_Kenny?" he asked._

_Alice's merciless expression smoothed away into a kind smile. "He has nothing to fear. Neither do you. You both know the song but haven't the gift. She does, so she must die."_

_He knew he should be concerned that Honoria-Marie Mitchum was going to die tonight if what Alice told him was true but honestly didn't see how it could be stopped. Certainly no one would believe him that a centuries old ghost was intent on murdering someone._

"_But I just used it." Nathan waved in the direction of the cabin and the two police officers there._

_Alice shrugged as if the answer was obvious. "Because this is Wytchebough and you are a part of this place. When we are done, when the green overruns this place, so too will the song be done."_

"_So why did you call me?" Nathan asked._

"_I didn't. You called me and I came to tell you something." Alice smiled innocently as she touched his arm. He shivered at the cool sensation, cool but not as cold as when he had last seen her. _

"_It wasn't you that did those terrible things. The gift when used as it was against ones such as you twists and corrupts our nature."_

"_Ones such as me?"_

"_Those able to resist. Mostly the gifted. But not all, just special ones. Like you. When pushed too hard, it drives some insane. Tricia embraced that insanity. You did not."_

"_So why are you telling me this?"_

"_Because you're not cursed, you're not a killer. And you're not a monster. You're kind and gentle and deep. You're a protector. And you're my friend." She peered closely into his eyes. "Do you understand?"_

_After a moment's consideration of the girl's words he nodded his head. "I think so."_

"_Good."_

_Alice rose to her feet, offering the man both her hands. "Would you stay and play with me until Bethia returns?"_

_Nathan couldn't resist the sweet smile on her face. "Sure."_

*`~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*~~Haven~~*

Audrey sighed as she stared at the monitor and the report on it with frustration as she idly tapped her fingers against her desk. It was well past time for her to need the lamp on her desk with sunlight now streaming through the office window but left it on anyway. A glance at the wall clock just made her sigh even louder and she slouched back in to chair. She'd been at this for two hours and she still hadn't finished a single thing.

She had come in early, unable to sleep, in the hopes of getting the backlog of paper work and reports done. She thought the early morning silence and solitude would help her work with out the distractions of calls and the bustle of the other officers in the station. All it had done was remind her of Nathan's absence as she found herself flicking her eyes over to her partner's desk. Someone had cleaned and organized it at some point with folders and papers stacked in neat little piles with his pens and pencils sitting in their usual cup holder. She frowned a little at seeing his vials of scent sitting on the corner of the desk, knowing he kept those locked away in the drawer. Beside it, Nathan's coffee cup sat there looking somehow forlorn.

Shaking her head at her maudlin mood, she rose to her feet. _'Okay, definitely time for coffee.'_

She gasped when she nearly ran in to Nathan as she exited their shared office. "Nathan." She couldn't help the grin that came to her face at seeing her partner, who seemed as equally pleased to see her.

He stood there with one arm in a sling—his blue jacket hanging loose over the shoulder—as he balanced two coffees and a box of Rosemary's pastries on top of what appeared to be a stack of folders in his only free hand. The sight of the folders brought a frown to her face "You're supposed to be resting."

"I am," he replied easily, raising the stack in his good arm slightly. "Thought I'd drop by with some coffee and pastries."

Taking the hint, Audrey quickly relieved him of the coffees and pastry box, setting them down on his desk. She turned back to him with a skeptical look, nodding towards the papers still in his hands. "Right. And you just happen to have an armload of reports with you?"

"I was bored and wrote up my incident report at home." He set the thick folder down next to the pastries. Unsurprisingly, Audrey started to flip through the pages curious to read his thoughts on the case.

"You could have e-mailed them to me," she commented.

"But then you wouldn't have coffee right now."

She smirked at his quip. "And I wouldn't be arguing with my stubborn partner over his need to rest."

Nathan quickly walked around to the other side of his desk and sat down. "See, resting."

Audrey just shook her head and took a careful sip of one of the coffees. Satisfied at the temperature she set it down in front of him before grabbing the other. "Fine, but if your father comes in here to yell about you being at the station you take all the heat."

He nodded his head in agreement as he finished opening the pastry box and offered its contents for her. "Fair enough."

Quickly choosing a cruller she set her coffee down and flipped open the folder to rifle further through the pages there. Some were hand written, others obviously printed. She stopped at a small slip of paper with hastily scrawled script that was nearly illegible. She could barely make out what appeared to be the words 'whistler' and 'Wytchebough' but little else.

"What's this?" she asked as she started to tug it free from the pile.

Nathan quickly grabbed the paper away from her, crumpling it slightly as he hastily folded it as best he could with one hand. "Nothing." He said evasively. At her bewildered expression and despite his obvious embarrassment he shrugged. "Nothing important."

Deciding to let it go, she brought over her chair to his desk. Once settled again, they ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. For Audrey, she could feel her frustration with the morning quickly slip away, for the first time in days feeling like everything was back to normal.

By the look on Nathan's face and the lack of tension as he leaned back in his chair, she suspected he felt the same. When she called him in what had become their daily ritual of recounting their days to one another, she had heard the frustration and restlessness in his voice over his enforced convalescence.

"So, how are you really doing Nathan?" she asked.

"I'm good," he replied, "Got cleared by the department psychiatrist yesterday. Just have to get the doctor to clear me for duty and I'm back to work on Monday."

"Lucassi cleared you? What about your…," Audrey trailed off, deciding the station wasn't the best place to bring up the nightmares her friend had confided to her. She trusted the other officers in the station but she knew Nathan was a private man. She also knew the Chief had signed off on Nathan going to Lucassi instead of the usual departmental psychiatrist given Lucassi's unique understanding of the Troubles. Still she found it a little odd the doctor had cleared Nathan so quickly.

"They're getting better," he admitted slowly. "Takes time."

She nodded at that, noting that he did seem far less disturbed over both his nightmares and his newly recovered childhood memories than he had been the last time they talked about it. "And the…rest?"

"I'm good with it now." Nathan glanced out the window as a strange little smile came to his face. Any sign of the distress he had over his experiences seemed to be lifted. When he returned his gaze to meet her own she could see she had misread him slightly. She could see the guilt was still there but there was something else as well: acceptance.

Nathan didn't give her a chance to push further.

"How's the investigation going?"

Audrey didn't need Nathan to specify which case she was working on. The Whistler case, as it had been dubbed in the Herald, had gripped much of the town's attention over the past week, as well as occupied most of her time. The case was actually wrapping up fairly quickly with the Chief surprisingly passing off most of the remaining investigative work—some forensics and identification of the recovered bodies—to the State Police while she was stuck with tying up lose ends around Haven. Those loose ends included investigating the arson at the Mitchum cabin that had destroyed the remaining evidence there and who was responsible for vandalizing the Mitchum family's now empty home in town.

"Honoria-Marie Mitchum was found strangled to death in her room at the asylum. They've ruled it a suicide. And we still don't know who vandalized the Mitchum home or the arsonist who burned the cabin down," Audrey replied.

"I heard about Mary. And the fire." Nathan seemed rather blasé about the death of the Mitchum girl and the destruction of the property but Audrey put that down to his own experiences with the Mitchums. "People are angry. Could've been anyone."

She merely nodded her head at that as she continued filling him in on the state of the investigation. "Your father handed over much of the case back to the State Police. There's not much more to investigate with all the suspects dead. Rumor was some Staties wanted to implicate you in tampering with evidence and conspiracy but that got quashed quickly by the State AG at the behest of the Mayor and the Selectman. Mrs. Hedgegrove badgered them into supporting you according to Dave and Vince."

Nathan seemed surprised at that revelation. "The state attorney general? Really?"

"That's the rumor." Audrey nodded, still feeling annoyed at the lost evidence. "I get that people are upset and angry but that fire cost us a lot of evidence. And Honoria-Marie's death cost us a good source of information. With the Hamiltons refusing any more access to their son that leaves you as our last real source left."

Nathan pointed to the open file between them. "Wrote down everything I could remember. I even wrote some theories on the Mitchum's Trouble and ways to keep their actions out of the public eye. That'll be the handwritten parts."

Audrey raised an eyebrow in surprise at that earning a shrug in response.

"I've had a lot of time to think."

"I guess so." Audrey chuckled at that and shook her head. She quickly rearranged the papers and closed the folder once more.

"By the way, Vince and Dave want to interview us for the Herald. Something about an exposé on, and I quote, Haven PD's top investigative detectives."

She grinned as she watched her partner groan and rub his right hand across his face. "We're Haven's only detectives," he pointed out.

"The Chief denied their request and convinced them to do a story about the volunteers that helped out instead. That should hold them off for awhile." Audrey leaned back in her chair and smirked. "You know they're not going to go let this go until we give them an interview."

Nathan nodded as he absently scratched at his jaw. "How about next week?"

Audrey laughed at her partner's procrastination. "Coward."

Nathan tried to look offended, but the strange little smile-that's-not-a-smile her partner had perfected ruined the effect, as he wagged a finger at her. "Pragmatist. I'm supposed to be convalescing."

"Big word," she mocked.

"I've had a lot of time to…"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." She waved her hands at him. "So I can tell them we'll sit down for an interview next week?"

With a satisfied grin, Nathan nodded his head as he pulled the file folder over. "Sure."

"I can write that up for you," Audrey offered. "It'll take you forever with only one hand."

Nathan just shook his head. "I'm good. I need to kill some time before my meetings."

"Meetings?" Audrey asked curiously.

"I'm meeting with Taylor Haskil, Tybalt's son, at the mortuary for funeral arrangements. Taylor wants me there," Nathan explained. "Then a physical."

"It'll be good to have you back," Audrey said.

"Yeah, good to be back." Nathan agreed.

"_Audrey, honey, you there?"_

"Duty calls," Audrey muttered.

Fin.

A/N: Background story notes can be found over at my website's fiction archive for those who may be interested. See profile for link to the site.


End file.
